Car delivery firm Autologic is to slash 40% of its 500-strong driver workforce following a business review and a sharp downturn in the demand for new vehicles. The news follows an announcement from rival firm ECM that it is cutting 45 drivers from its operation. Autologic, which formerly operated as Walon, says that it has started a 90-day consultation period with the Unite union over the 200 redundancies.
However, Bernard Brown, group HR director at Autologic, says the company is hoping
to minimise compulsory redundancies by offering generous severance packages for those drivers prepared to take voluntary redundancy. He says that the redundancies are regrettable, but necessary to "protect the economic health of the business".
He adds: "What we want to do is to create a company that thrives and is ready to perform even better when the upturn arrives. This is no reflection on any of our employees, we have got a very good workforce, but the new management team has taken a look at the business and this is, regrettably, one of the decisions that we have had to take for the overall benefit of the business."
Bill Lamb, regional industrial organiser with Unite, says a number of its older members will be interested in the package for voluntary redundancy.
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