Industry News
Ford-UGT agreement secures Valencia assembly
30th August 2007
Ford Motor Company and the UGT have signed an agreement securing vehicle assembly in the company's Almussafes, Valencia, vehicle manufacturing plant until 2013. Under the terms of the agreement the company has confirmed its intention to introduce up to three new small and medium segment models into the plant and that the plant would be producing at least 350,000 vehicles per annum across three shifts.
Ford will be investing €425 million at Almussafes in support of this initiative.
The Valencia UGT union has in turn committed to assist the company in achieving labour costs savings required to keep the plant cost competitive with ‘the rest of the European vehicle manufacturing industry’.
Ford of Europe president and CEO John Fleming praised the co-operation of the UGT union and the Almussafes workforce in reaching this agreement. In Valencia today for the signing of the formal document, he said: "With the signing of this agreement today, I am pleased to be able to dispel any uncertainties about the future of the Valencia plant. I have always said it was one of our most efficient and flexible plants in Europe."
Mr. Fleming also saluted the ‘outstanding co-operation and support’ it had received from the Valencia Community Government and the Spanish government.
Mr. Gonzalo Pino, the representative of the main UGT union at the plant, said, "We are pleased that the company has shown faith in the Valencia workforce by committing itself to this programme of investment and new model introductions."
News Headlines
