To help secure the future of local automotive manufacturing, employees at the GM-Holden Elizabeth plant have accepted revised employment conditions that include a three-year pay freeze. According to the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, the majority of Holden’s 1,700 production line employees in the South Australian capital city of Adelaide voted “yes” for the pay freeze on Wednesday August 14, after GM-Holden informed workers that a ‘no’ decision would put local production of the next-gen Commodore and Cruze at risk.
Originally, Holden intended to secure wage cuts and a cap on voluntary separations to save itself roughly A$15 million in expenses a year, but compromised when 90 percent of its workforce declined the proposal. So far in 2013, the Australian General Motors subsidiary has reduced its assembly line and engineering staff by 500 employees through voluntary separation packages.
Adding uncertainty to the mix is Australia’s upcoming Federal election. Previously, General Motors had promised to invest $1 billion in the Elizabeth facility for production of the next-generation Cruze and Commodore models up to the year 2022, but Holden chairman and managing director Mike Devereux recently said that Holden’s future won’t be fully solidified until after the September 7 election has taken place.
Comments
Well done, small sacrifice for the greater good. Teachers, fire fighters, and a few others need to do the same in Canada.
“Well done, small sacrifice for the greater good.” Well said.
“Teachers, fire fighters, and a few others need to do the same in Canada.” You’re wrong. Politicians must freeze their salaries, not only in Canada.
If the industry can’t support these workers or there own people won’t support these companies then it’s time to show them the door!
Better yet make them take a pay cut and make them build chevys!
So when GM went into chapter 11, those that bought out GM should have sacked all the workers? Grow up Brian and stop embarrassing yourself. GM knows the importance of the Holden brand name.
Acutally they have sacked a very large part of the workers, simply by closing a large numbe of plants.
But not all as i was saying, in response to Brian’s comment
Your correct. That was a terrible and very immature comment for him to make.
The labor party leader Kevin Rudd (current government) has changed the rules for company cars under salary sacrifice and caused a loss of new car sales, the liberal party in opposition is a buddy of big business are are happy to shaft the working class to look after their rich mates.
This is why the election is important to the stay/go desision.
I honestly see that the only way Holden will survive is if gm starts selling vehicles under the Holden brand in other countries
Exporting Holdens yes, although I and many GTO & G8 owners would like to see the Holden brand sold worldwide, I think its better and safer to sell under existing GM brands for now. Buick should sell the Calais, GMC should sell the Ute in base form, Chevy should sell the Commodore (rather than the upscaled SS) and the Ute…. Still would rather it have a Holden badge worldwide, so people know where it comes from 🙂
facebook.com/holdenisaustralian will also have to work harder to spread the word too.
The Holden Caprice is the flagship of Buick China, called the Park Avenue there, and assembled from CKD kits imported from Australia.
I expect in future more product sharing between Buick/Opel/Vauxhall and Holden.
Yes I’m well aware. The Caprice is also sold in the middle east. The Commodore in South Africa as well.
As the Chevrolet Lumina.
The question is, if GM lets Holden continue as a sub-brand of Chevrolet, or will try, as I interpret the termination of Opel in Australia, to integrate Holden with the other “carefully cultivated” regional brands into this famous “hybrid global brand”, thus also creating the opening to introduce Chevrolet in Australia under its own name.
This is what we have been saying all along! Move over Holden chevy is coming!
The only global brands GM needs to worry about is chevy buick and Cadillac! The rest are brands that can’t even take care of thier own local markets!
I say bring chevy buick and Cadillac to every market so that GM can market it’s global brands and let the ungrateful people who won’t support the other division s of GM slowly die way!
I’m tired of you holden opel vauxhall fans kicking GM chevy buick and Cadillac every chance you get while asking those very same people to support your cause!
You want all the support of GM but have no interest in GM other brands! You expect everyone around the world to buy your brands then you thumb your nose at chevy buicks and Cadillac s and you expect us to care if your industry falls on it’s ass!
That investment of 1 billion in the Elizabeth plant where do you think that money is coming from? Yes GM !
Trainspotting here;
The photo in the article can’t be from the production line because a robot installs the dash into the car where as workers are doing it here (with assistance from the crane). Probably making the test vehicles. It’s either an SS or SV6. The dash trim hints at it being a Ute though.
It changed :/ …. Oh well, the one in the image is a VF Commodore Calais in prussian steel.
Give back has never paid out.
GM Korea, on the other hand…