No Deal Brexit could see 4,500 workers at BMW’s Oxford plant face weeks of unpaid leave because factory will be forced into temporary shutdown

• BMW prepared to shut down its Mini manufacturing site under a No-Deal Brexit
• German car maker threatens to send plant workers on weeks of unpaid leave 
• Car makers are vocal about the threat that a No Deal could have on the industry 
• The boss of Vauxhall-maker PSA says he could not accept a No-Deal Brexit 

BMW workers in Oxford will have to take several weeks of unpaid leave if there’s No Deal.

The German car maker is prepared to shut down its Mini manufacturing site if Brexit disrupts its supply chains.

BMW’s finance boss Nicolas Peter said a shutdown could last for ‘three weeks or more’ if the company has problems importing the parts it needs to put cars together.

Car makers have been vocal about the threat that a No Deal Brexit could have on the industry, with many warning that delays at borders or any uncertainty about import rules could throttle production [File photo]

The 4,500 staff at the site would not be able to take any holiday pay during that time as all remaining leave was used up in April. 

That was when the company closed the plant for a month to guard against potential disruption from the original Brexit date.

Car makers have been vocal about the threat that a No Deal Brexit could have on the industry, with many warning that delays at borders or any uncertainty about import rules could throttle production.

The sector works on a last-minute delivery system called ‘just in time’, which means they don’t keep many spare components in a stockpile and need parts to constantly be delivered.

BMW workers in Oxford will have to take several weeks of unpaid leave if there’s No Deal. The German car maker is prepared to shut down its Mini manufacturing site if Brexit disrupts its supply chains

Meanwhile, the boss of Vauxhall maker PSA, Carlos Tavares, told the Frankfurt Motor Show that he could not accept a No Deal Brexit.

He has previously warned that his UK factories could be closed in the event of a No Deal. 

He said yesterday: ‘I don’t want to consider a no-deal Brexit.

‘It does not make sense for the people, it does not make sense for the Brits,it does not make sense for the Continental Europeans.’

But he stressed: ‘If bad things happen, which hopefully will not happen, then we will adapt to that.’

In addition, Jaguar Land Rover’s boss Ralf Speth has called for an end to the Brexit ‘uncertainty’ which is causing a planning crisis at the firm.

Shutting down factories over the Easter break in April to coincide with the last Brexit leaving date had cost the firm £200million, he said.

The 4,500 staff at the site would not be able to take any holiday pay during that time as all remaining leave was used up in April. That was when the company closed the plant for a month to guard against potential disruption from the original Brexit date [File photo] 

Source: Read Full Article