Ford to cut 12,000 jobs in Europe, with 5,400 going in Germany

US automotive giant Ford is to cut around 12,000 jobs in Europe, reducing its plants in the region by six to 18 by 2020, the company said from its European headquarters in Cologne on Thursday.

Plants are to be shut down in Russia, France and Britain, and another in Slovakia is to be sold, Ford said, confirming an earlier announcement after it slipped deep into the red last year.

Detailing job losses for the first time, the company said it had already reached retrenchment deals to shed more than 3,200 workers in Germany.

Describing the move as “the hardest of decisions,” Ford Europe head Stuart Rowley said that discussions with workers’ representatives had proceeded smoothly with a view to alleviating the consequences.

The company would focus on a long-term and sustainable future for its European business, Rowley said.

While Cologne remains the main centre for car production, Britain will focus on utility vehicles.

The company has been slow to make the switch to electric; its first e-vehicle is to come onto the market at the end of next year, imported from the United States.

Source: dpa