Minister to meet Jaguar Land Rover boss as thousands of job cuts expected
The company is struggling with the impact of tariffs as well as the fallout from a major cyber attack last year.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is set to meet with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) executives and the Unite union to discuss anticipated job cuts at the automotive company. JLR recently announced a voluntary redundancy program, a year after a major cyber attack forced production to halt for over a month. The Times reports that up to 4,000 jobs may be lost due to tariffs and declining sales.
Reynolds stated that the meeting aims to explore ways to mitigate job losses but ruled out a bailout for the company. He emphasized that for a company of JLR's size, workforce adjustments are a regular occurrence during its business cycle. If the aim is to ensure an optimal workforce size for the company's competitiveness, that discussion is necessary. Reynolds also hinted at long-term investments in JLR's future.
The job cuts come amid Chancellor John Healey's upcoming speech in the Midlands, where he plans to boost economic growth by altering how the government values infrastructure investment. JLR, based in Coventry, West Midlands, is one of the region's largest employers, with about 30,000 UK-based employees and another 10,000 overseas.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham highlighted concerns about the automotive industry facing "death by a thousand cuts" over successive governments. She mentioned intensive discussions with colleagues about mitigating job losses. Reynolds acknowledged the impact of electric vehicle sales targets, promising further consultations to align industry flexibility with consumer demand and regulatory changes.
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