Car factory sacks 35

Press, 5 October 1977, Page 1

Car factory sacks 35

Thirty-five workers at Steels Motor Assemblies at Sockbum have been laid off in the last five or six weeks because of falling car sales. A spokesman for the company said that the final 10 workers were given notice on Monday evening. All were from the twilight shift and most had other jobs. About half were women. The spokesman said the twilight shift was introduced about two years ago and since then had been “off and on” according to production needs. The

assembly plant was in full production until about a month ago. The removal of the twilight shift would help protect the jobs of permanent workers at the plant, he said. Steels opened in 1970. The only car assembly plant in Canterbury, it assembles Toyotas and Mazdas.

Assembly plants in the North Island have also been hit by falling sales this year. The Subaru plant of New Zealand Motor Holdings, near New Ply-mouth, is on a three-day week after cutting production last month from 25 cars a week to 20 cars. Sales of cars in July this year were down 21 per cent on the previous July.