The movement needs to fight the imminent closure of the Luton Stellantis plant, and many others, but can’t do it without an industrial strategy, argues Cici Washburn

It’s the week before Christmas, many are buying presents for the kids and making preparations, however, 1100 workers at the Luton Stellantis plant don’t know if they will have a job in the new year. Luton Vauxhall is an Electric Vehicle plant, subject to EV rules to speed up the transition to EV’s and the corresponding targets that Stellantis blame for reduced sales and loss of profit.

Automotive workers across the globe face the same threat. Stellantis alone has cut 1,100 jobs in Toledo, Ohio, 2,400 jobs in Warren Michigan, 400 jobs in Indiana, 500 jobs in Detroit and potentially up to 12,000 jobs in Italy. Nissan is cutting 9000 jobs in Thailand, Volkswagen is closing three plants in Germany with tens of thousands of workers to lose their jobs. The crisis across the auto industry is set to deepen in 2025.

And it not just the automotive sector. We have seen other closures in Britain this year with thousands of jobs lost. Tata steel cut 2,500 jobs in Port Talbot and 500 jobs at Grangemouth. The job losses are greater than the headline figures suggest. For instance, the Port Talbot loses put a further 2,000 jobs at risk across the affected supply chains.

As for Luton, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) estimate that for every worker directly employed in vehicle manufacturing in 2023, a further four are employed in the supply and distribution chains. So, the threat to jobs in Luton jumps from 1,100 to 5,500. And that is not counting the service industries which rely on people having wage packets: the hairdressers, newsagents, restaurants, takeaways etc.

We have spent the latter half of this year hearing about how well Reform are doing in former mining downs that were decimated by the pit closures. Those very same conditions for disillusionment and disgruntlement with establishment parties could aid a deflection of anger in Luton too. Labour has known about this closure for months. Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, met multiple times with Stellantis over the summer and hasn’t met them since. Reynolds told the House of Commons that the announced closure marked a ‘dark day’ for Luton. He added the closure was the result of ‘a commercial decision by Stellantis as they respond to wider challenges within the sector.’ In other words, Labour – which has the power to stop the redundancies and should intervene – will not lift a finger to save jobs. Clearly we can’t wait for Labour.

The union’s response

Unite the union, which represents the workforce, called the Stellantis closure announcement a ‘slap in the face’. Sure. But it certainly was not a surprise. The threat of closure and redundancies have been looming for months. What preparations were made to fight the redundancies? What is its strategy for Luton? 

At Port Talbot, Unite called a demonstration over the summer and then called it off at the last minute. At Grangemouth, Unite has recently been holding weekday protests against closure. These protests are absolutely necessary and deserve the fullest support. But on their own, they’re limited. They appear to substitute the need for an industrial fight to save jobs as opposed to supplementing that fight with a combined strategy to mobilise the greatest forces necessary to deliver the solidarity to win.

And now at Luton, we see the same pattern. Unite has held mid-week protests outside the Vauxhall plant. There was a gate meeting of workers on Monday prior to demonstrations which were 8am-4pm on Tuesday and Wednesday with a lunchtime rally on Tuesday. This was the first time workers were given a sense that there may be a fight. While there were brilliant scenes of Vauxhall workers and supporters turning away trucks outside the plant, it must be asked, what is happening inside the plant to stop the redundancies? 

Unite’s statement issued on Monday 16 December says the union ‘is calling on the company to withdraw the deadline for redundancies that were imposed under Carlos Tavares’ regime and allow for proper negotiations between workers, management and government over the future of the plant.’

There has to be a campaign and an industrial strategy, not for fewer redundancies but for no redundancies in the plant. A campaign to win.

Workers’ response

Workers (who for obvious reasons wish to remain anonymous) spoke to Counterfire outside the Luton plant on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

The union needed to act weeks ago. The plant is being wound down for closure. The orders have been cut. In fact I should have been working until next Monday but instead we’re on “down-time”. We’re exactly where Stellantis want us – outside the plant. The 45-days consultation period (for redundancies) is ticking away. We’re expecting redundancy notices from 10 January. Where’s the fight?!

Another added:

They took the passes off agency workers and marched them out of the door on Sunday. Those agency workers are highly skilled and do the same job as us. It’s disgusting how they were treated. We’ll be next.

One worker highlighted the urgency of the situation. The time is short and being wound down:

We’ve lost the night shift already. We’ve been asked to phone in on 6 January to see what’s happening or if work is available from 13 January. They’ve already massively reduced orders and we’ve been told production targets for January have been met. The plant is already down to two shifts. Before long it’ll be one shift. After that, it’ll be closed – we’ve been told by the second quarter of the year they’ll cease production. The second quarter begins in April, so that suggests closure around late March. The clock is ticking.

Action and solidarity action are key:

We needed to organise a fight as soon as Stellantis made the announcement on 26 November. Not when we’re on down-time and outside the plant on the road. We need to be inside the plant. But instead, Stellantis have been handed control of the plant. We need to turn this around if we’re going to win. A fight against redundancies should involve both plants (i.e. Ellesmere also) to save jobs and build solidarity. At the moment, I feel like we’re being sold down the river.

There has to be both demonstrations and a worker-led industrial strategy. Unite should call mass demonstrations in Luton town centre this Saturday. Unite should arrange for protests inside and outside Luton FC at the first match of 2025 against Norwich. This is essential to strengthen and broaden the campaign and build solidarity. 

But it could also serve to draw in workers who will be affected through the supply chains, workers across the trade-union movement and the population of Luton, after all, the whole town will be affected by the closure of the plant.

Critically, an industrial strategy is sorely lacking. What are the possibilities of occupying the plant? As Luton workers state above, at this time, they are on the wrong side of the gates for an occupation. But that could change rapidly in the early part of 2025. And if it does, how are we prepared if and as soon as the situation changes? In the very least, it’ll raise the question of property rights and who’s boss.

Why not get a delegation of Ellesmere workers to support any action taken by Luton? Imagine Ellesmere Stellantis workers on strike action in solidarity with a Luton Stellantis occupation. Now that’s power. Powerful enough to shift the entire balance of forces of the dispute with a company (and entire sector) in deepening crisis (not to mention the leadership crisis at the very top since Tavares’ resignation). 

Luton Vauxhall workers are right: the clock is ticking … The union needs to up its game.