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Swindon’s finished’: UK town in shock over Honda plant closure
SWINDON, United Kingdom, Feb 19, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – “It is going to be a
disaster for the town,” said Mary Day, one of many residents in the English
town of Swindon in shock on Tuesday after Honda announced it was closing its
local plant after more than 30 years.
“I didn’t see it coming. None of us did,” the 68-year-old pensioner told
AFP in the town centre as workers arrived for their first shift since the
news broke.
The Japanese auto giant is the biggest employer in this southwestern town
of 180,000 people, which grew up in the 19th century thanks to a booming
railway works industry.
The closure of the Honda factory in 2021 puts 3,500 jobs directly at risk
but could affect thousands more in the sector.
Sue Davis, 49, a financial worker whose ex-husband works at the plant,
said: “It is devastating for Swindon. I think Swindon’s finished without
Honda, that’s my opinion”.
Honda entered a partnership with now-defunct carmaker British Leyland in
1980 to build Honda designs.
It led a wave of Japanese carmakers that came to Britain in the 1980s,
drawn by the business-friendly environment under then prime minister Margaret
Thatcher and access to European markets.
In 1985, Honda acquired the site of a former World War II aircraft factory
on the outskirts of Swindon.
The plant began production in 1989 and has since produced bestsellers such
as the Honda Accord and the Honda Civic.
Jason Foster, a 46-year-old local government employee, said the
announcement was “awful”.
“It will be devastating for people,” he said.
– ‘Down to Brexit’ –
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Honda said it made its decision as a result of “unprecedented changes” in the
global auto industry and stressed it was not related to Brexit.
But residents in Swindon, which voted 55 percent in favour of leaving the
European Union in the 2016 referendum, saw Brexit playing a much larger role.
“I think it’s coming down to Brexit and they’re not admitting it. I think
it’s the uncertainty of what’s going to happen,” Foster said.
“I think it just feeds back into the whole thing of why on earth are we
leaving. Whose idea was this in the first place? It’s a joke,” he said.
Michael Barkley, a 32-year-old local store manager, also said the decision
was taken “presumably because of Brexit”.
“But they are never going to write it down anywhere, are they? They are
never going to say that the reason they are leaving is because of Brexit,” he
said.
Richard Abbott, who works in financial services, said Brexit would get
blamed even though “car industries in general seem to be moving away from the
country”.
“I know we haven’t left (the EU) as yet but companies are getting ready
beforehand, so it’s not just a case of waiting for a deal to be made,
companies are already making their plans unfortunately,” he said.
Sumit Agarwal, 39, said he was more worried about the impact for people he
knows who work at the plant.
“I think it’s going to be difficult for them. So I think government should
do something to save those jobs.”
BSS/AFP/SR/1740 HRS