CPA - The Guardian

Unite says that the workers are angry and feel betrayed that their business plan to retain production at the Over Hulton (Bolton) site through the current recession has been rejected by the company.

Condemning the closure and 400 job losses, John Rowse, Unite national officer, said: “It seems ludicrous that a company supplying a range of products powering electric vehicles should be closing at a time when demand for this technology is growing. It is true that lead/acid batteries are not leading edge but they still have an important role to play powering a variety of off-road electric vehicles and will continue to do so.”

He said the closure will see the end of heavy-duty battery cell production in the UK. Already Britain’s submarine fleet is powered by batteries imported into the UK when production ceased at Exide’s competitor’s plant in Swinton, Manchester. Originally both were part of the Chloride group. Now Exide is going the same way.

“Four hundred job losses will have a devastating economic effect on families and the community during these difficult times,” said Mr Rowse. “We will continue to press the case for keeping the site open and urge Exide to think again about its closure plans so that we can save these jobs.”

The union is currently in the process of balloting its members at the site over the company’s inadequate redundancy and closure payments.

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