02-08-2008, 10:41 PM
Tatas to talk jobs, pension with Jaguar-Land Rover union on Friday
8 Feb, 2008, 0830 hrs IST,Sudeshna Sen & Nandini Sen Gupta, TNN
LONDON/NEW DELHI: As the Jaguar-Land Rover negotiations enter the final lap, top Tata Motors officials are meeting JLR union Unite on Friday to discuss âpensions, job securityâ and other concerns.
When contacted a Unite spokesperson said: âYes, we are meeting with the Tatas on Friday, and we have been in close touch with all parties, concerned - Tatas, Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover. The details are sensitive at the moment, and we cannot comment further. Our earlier concerns about pensions, job security and terms and conditions remain the same.â
Although there are no officials confirmations available, the JLR deal is expected to be a complex one, thanks to the concerns of the union, the engine supply and component sourcing arrangements and the pension liabilities. These agreements will cover everything from staff-retention to sourcing deals.
Sources say the agreements are crucial because Ford is likely to go against its union mandate and not retain any stake in the two companies. However, Ford is likely to sign a long-term engine supply agreement with the Tatas to ensure smooth transition. Also, the final bid amount would include the pension deficit for the two companies. In 2006, the combined pension deficit for the two carmakers was around 200 million pounds.
The nearly 19,000 employees of the two companies have prompted Ford to officially say that it will take into account âobligation to the employees of the two companies and the local community as wellâ.
Unite, which backed the Tatas and were responsible in some measure in swinging the deal in their favour, had earlier said that once the winning bidder is announced it would have further negotiations to add to the charter of demands that were put out earlier by Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley.
These would pertain to components and suppliers and âwe will ensure sourcing agreements are assured and UK jobs in the components industry are secure. We want to have five-yearly agreements on jobs,â a Unite spokesperson had earlier said.
8 Feb, 2008, 0830 hrs IST,Sudeshna Sen & Nandini Sen Gupta, TNN
LONDON/NEW DELHI: As the Jaguar-Land Rover negotiations enter the final lap, top Tata Motors officials are meeting JLR union Unite on Friday to discuss âpensions, job securityâ and other concerns.
When contacted a Unite spokesperson said: âYes, we are meeting with the Tatas on Friday, and we have been in close touch with all parties, concerned - Tatas, Ford, Jaguar and Land Rover. The details are sensitive at the moment, and we cannot comment further. Our earlier concerns about pensions, job security and terms and conditions remain the same.â
Although there are no officials confirmations available, the JLR deal is expected to be a complex one, thanks to the concerns of the union, the engine supply and component sourcing arrangements and the pension liabilities. These agreements will cover everything from staff-retention to sourcing deals.
Sources say the agreements are crucial because Ford is likely to go against its union mandate and not retain any stake in the two companies. However, Ford is likely to sign a long-term engine supply agreement with the Tatas to ensure smooth transition. Also, the final bid amount would include the pension deficit for the two companies. In 2006, the combined pension deficit for the two carmakers was around 200 million pounds.
The nearly 19,000 employees of the two companies have prompted Ford to officially say that it will take into account âobligation to the employees of the two companies and the local community as wellâ.
Unite, which backed the Tatas and were responsible in some measure in swinging the deal in their favour, had earlier said that once the winning bidder is announced it would have further negotiations to add to the charter of demands that were put out earlier by Unite joint general secretary Tony Woodley.
These would pertain to components and suppliers and âwe will ensure sourcing agreements are assured and UK jobs in the components industry are secure. We want to have five-yearly agreements on jobs,â a Unite spokesperson had earlier said.