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Honda Brexting

(198 Posts)
Bridgeit Mon 18-Feb-19 19:03:49

Is this the beginning?
3000 job losses, where will that amount people find alternative work.?
Any optimistic suggestions or opinions out there?

Urmstongran Mon 18-Feb-19 21:06:25

lemongrove ??

And what about the recent collapse of the Berlin based airline Germania? Another poorly run European carrier. They went under due to the same economic reasons - high flight taxes (EU regulations) higher fuel costs and poor service. Brexit? I don’t think so.

lemongrove Mon 18-Feb-19 21:06:30

Honda in Swindon hasn’t been doing well for a while, in fact they closed it down for several months a few years ago.
It has nothing to do with Brexit for God’s sake!
Strangely, there are many other factors at play, it’s become a conspiracy theory to point the finger at us leaving the EU for every downturn in business.

POGS Mon 18-Feb-19 21:06:38

Talking of Flybmi.

Is Brexit the cause of Air Berlin going into liquidation?

Is Brexit the cause of Alitalia going bankrupt?

Is Brexit the reason Small Planet Airlines in Germany and Lithuania filed for insolvency?

Is Brexit the reason Norwegian Air is in trouble?

Happy to be corrected if this is incorrect information.

I am not so foolish as to believe Brexit has not caused companies to think hard about the UK but I do get annoyed when Brexit is the first line of accusation because it suits a narrative that Brexit is somehow the only cause for what is happening when problems reach beyond the UK also.

MaizieD Mon 18-Feb-19 21:07:55

Well, lemon, enjoy your laugh while you can because your Brexit might very well come back to bit you on the posterior.

Not all of those workers who are going to lose their jobs (and the businesses reliant on them) are going to be rational about global car production trends and Brexit will be a very easy thing to pin the blame on.

Urmstongran Mon 18-Feb-19 21:09:03

Well said POGS

Urmstongran Mon 18-Feb-19 21:10:14

Same I suppose for the workers in Europe MaizieD and they didn’t vote a Brexit!

crystaltipps Mon 18-Feb-19 21:11:43

Who said Brexit was the cause of Air Berlin etc folding?
However, the airline itself said Brexit uncertainty was a factor, as in the case of Nissan etc, Brexit supporters won’t admit any bad economic news has anything to do with Brexit, why not admit the governments’ lack of planning and the last minute dithering must have a negative impact. Even arch Brexiteer business people are moving elesewhere. So much for the great opportunities opening up......

GrannyGravy13 Mon 18-Feb-19 21:12:01

People have been loosing their jobs since time began, worrying and unfair, but long before the EU and BREXIT

POGS Mon 18-Feb-19 21:12:38

Maizie d

Further to POGS post.

Had we remained in the EU is it likely that, given the shorter distances involved in trading with the EU from the UK and tariffs being the same from both the UK and Japan after the EU - Japan deal, they wouldn't have considered closing the Swindon plant? Shorter duration and cheaper transport must be a consideration.
----

If that was the case and the criteria of ' Shorter duration and cheaper transport' being a consideration then no doubt we will here Honda has moved to another European country to make up for leaving the UK and Turkey.

If they don't then it wasn't a consideration and they have consolidated production back to Japan.

M0nica Mon 18-Feb-19 21:12:41

I do not care ** for what the reason is Honda is closing the Swindon plant, my thoughts are with the 3,000 permanent and possibly another thousand temporary and contract workers and their families who will lose their jobs over the next 3 years. These are only the beginning. This close down will spread to many other businesses in the own, who will suffer as family incomes fall and to the many companies whose businesses are dependent on supplying the Honda works from everything from car parts to cleaning services. Total job losses could well be twice the number of direct job losses

Swindon is a large industrial town in a large rural hinterland, there are no other industrial centres offering similar jobs within much less than a hundred miles from the town where workers can look for alternative employment. Swindon has always been far too dependent on one or two very large employers - first the railways and now Honda.

It is essential that there are restructuring plans drawn up for Swindon that will discourage very big employers from moving there and encouraging medium and small company's to move there, each offering hundreds of jobs rather than thousands.

lemongrove Mon 18-Feb-19 21:13:30

‘Bite me on the posterior’ ? ?
Will the workers be rioting and come round to my house, teeth snapping?
I expect they have seen the writing on the wall for some considerable time at the Swindon plant.

POGS Mon 18-Feb-19 21:15:50

crystaltipps Mon 18-Feb-19 21:11:4

' Who said Brexit was the cause of Air Berlin etc folding?
However, the airline itself said Brexit uncertainty was a factor'
--

Air Berlin said Brexit was the cause? Really.?

lemongrove Mon 18-Feb-19 21:17:18

It is indeed a blow for the Honda workforce and will have a knock on effect as well, but will angry Remainers please
Get a grip on reality.....this has nothing to do with Brexit.

Bridgeit Mon 18-Feb-19 21:19:52

What will be the benifits of being out of the EU at the same time as current engines are being fazed out?

GrannyGravy13 Mon 18-Feb-19 21:22:39

GG13 apologies for loosing typo obviously intended to type losing!!

Urmstongran Mon 18-Feb-19 21:23:20

I think that was a very worthy post MOnica and I’m sure all on this forum would endorse your sentiments ✅

It’s just that at present we are having a debate about the situation.

GrannyGravy13 Mon 18-Feb-19 21:27:40

ditto Urmstongran

MaizieD Mon 18-Feb-19 21:29:26

this has nothing to do with Brexit.

Let's wait and see what Honda says, shall we? They haven't actually made any announcement yet. the news was 'leaked' today.

But the Japanese have been saying very clearly, if diplomatically, that Brexit is a problem for them.

news.sky.com/story/japanese-ambassador-warns-prime-minister-of-brexit-high-stakes-after-talks-11241558

Bridgeit Mon 18-Feb-19 21:29:58

History will be the judge of this decision.

lemongrove Mon 18-Feb-19 21:38:56

They may ‘say it’ (Honda) as it will clear them from reneging on contracts, but the car industry and Honda here have been doing poorly for a long time, as I said before ( well before the referendum) they had to close down the Swindon plant for maybe six months!
It suits Remoaners though to seize on every business downturn in the UK to assure us that the sky is falling in,
Armageddon is areiving, the lion will lay down with the lamb blah blah.

crystaltipps Mon 18-Feb-19 21:47:06

POGS when I said “ the airline” I meant Flybmi, whose bosses did cite Brexit uncertainty as a factor, not referring to Air Berlin which obviously not to do with Brexit as clear from 1st sentence. Sorry if that meaning was not obvious from the context.

crystaltipps Mon 18-Feb-19 21:52:02

Will Brexiteers please “get a grip”. Brexit is going to impact the economy negatively. Don’t stick fingers in ears and say lalala. pretending everything is marvellous.

MaizieD Mon 18-Feb-19 21:55:46

This is interesting. Where is the Honda factory in Turkey? There's no mention of it on Honda's website:

global.honda/about/group/category.html?category=manufacturing-facilities

GrannyGravy13 Mon 18-Feb-19 21:56:55

I have never pretended everything is marvellous, neither am I of the opinion that every negative story is Brexit related.

Urmstongran Mon 18-Feb-19 21:57:09

Our great EU friends negotiated a wonderful deal with Japan. Knowing the UK had a monopoly on Japanese vehicle manufacturing, they decided a free trade deal was the way to go. . Of course the eventual outcome would be manufacturing would head back to their home market if tariffs bottomed out to zero. Had Germany or France had those production facilities there is no way in hell the deal would have been struck.