400 jobs lost
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OVER 400 jobs are to be axed at Leyland Vehicle's lorry plant at Bathgate, near Edinburgh. This follows 196 redundancies announced last year and brings the workforce down to 1,900.
The redundancies have come as a result of the world recession and a decline in Bathgate's main export markets.
In announcing the move, George Newburn, Leyland's senior industrial relations representative at the plant, pointed out that the cuts were aimed at making Bathgate more competitive and did not signal its demise.
Mr Newburn said that the Blue Line range of Family One Engines, manufactured at the plant, would not now be discontinued but would run until "at least 1986". This engine is a joint venture between Leyland and Cummins and powers the 4x2 Chieftain vehicles between 12-16 tonnes gvw, and the Clydesdale 13.5 tons gvw in rigid form and the 20.3 tonnes vehicle in articulated form. The engine range also powers the Leyland Reiver.
Added to this is the news that a planned transfer of axle manufacture to the Albion plant in Glasgow has been postponed.
Leyland's vehicle production figures for the Bathgate plant have fallen sharply from 8,500 in 1982 to an estimated 4,900 for 1983.
The vehicle assembly plant at Bathgate was the worst hit by the redundancies. Shop stewards who had been expecting some redundancies were worried by the amount. A total of 277 workers would go by the end of September and a further 125 would leave during the remainder of the year and 1984.
Mr Newburn said: "If we are to have a chance of survival the business has to be slimmed down to come in line both with the current market available and with the cost structure the business can bear."