Vauxhall closes its UK factories for the week

Both of Vauxhall’s UK plants one in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the other in Luton, Bedfordshire have been closed for a week so production is halted.

Due to troublesome economic times in Europe, and a decline in car sales over the past 11 months, workers have been sent home and been given a ‘paid down week’ to avoid cars mounting up in the factory.

About 3,000 workers have been sent home fully paid with hours banked for future use. Production of the new Vivaro is scheduled to start at the Luton plant in 2014 and assembly of the new Astra at Ellesmere Port is due in 2015.