Hundreds of UK Airbus agency workers to be made redundant

Around 500 agency workers will be made redundant at Airbus Broughton, says the union, after news yesterday the firm is furloughing 3,200 UK members staff amid the pandemic.

THE agency staff affected work at the Broughton wing making factory in Wales, confirmed specialist service provider Guidant Global.

The furloughing arrangement was agreed by unions, as the “fundamental principle of the (Job Retention Scheme) is to save jobs by payments to help companies keep workers employed, it is not intended to pay companies to jettison jobs.”

As such, Unite reportedly intends to challenge the latest announcement.

Daz Reynolds, Unite Convenor at the Airbus Broughton plant said losing up to 500 workers at the plant is “devastating for the individuals concerned” and also raises questions for everyone else employed on site.

Unite has worked with Airbus to try to guide the business through “this unprecedented crisis,” but admitted the news has come as a huge blow.

The union said that while it understands the reasoning behind the decision, it is examining opportunities to dispute the job losses while safeguarding the future of the factory within Airbus European operations.

Airbus is one of Wales’s major employers and its continued success is central to the viability of thousands of jobs in Wales and the north west, both at Airbus and in the wider supply chain.