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 company said that it had started a 90-day consultation period with the union Unite over the 200 redundancies, according to Personnel Today’s sister title, Motor Transport.
Bernard Brown, group HR director at Autologic, said the firm was hoping to minimise compulsory redundancies by offering generous severance packages for those drivers prepared to take voluntary redundancy.
Redundancies were regrettable, but necessary to protect the economic health of the business, he added.
“We want to create a company that thrives and is ready to perform even better when the upturn arrives,” Brown said.
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“This is no reflection on any of our employees, we have 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, said a number of its older members would be interested in the voluntary redundancy packages.
