General Electric: Crisis meeting held as axe looms on 500 Stafford jobs
An emergency meeting was held by a new taskforce set up to try and support hundreds of workers at General Electric in Stafford who are facing losing their jobs.
The taskforce, which includes senior councillors, business leaders and Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy, discussed options for the 500 workers at the company’s Lichfield Road factory whose roles are set to be axed.
They are keen to ensure that if staff are made redundant they are given as much support as possible to get back into work as soon as possible.
Job fairs could be launched, while directing those affected to other employment and training opportunities has also been discussed. Members have also said they are on hand to support the company in any way they can. Stafford Borough Council leader Patrick Farrington, said: “The taskforce has been set up involving a number of agencies and is ready to assist GE and its employees.
“We met as a group yesterday and discussed measures that can be put in place quickly to support the company if required.
“We are in contact with GE and will make them aware of what we can do to help.”
It was revealed yesterday that union bosses from Unite are to hold crunch talks with the energy giant in a last-ditch bid to save 1,100 jobs, including those at risk at sites in Rugby.
Bosses have insisted final decisions will not be made until the end of a consultation period. It was announced last month that the firm would be closing one of its four factories in Lichfield Road. GE needs to save £750m around the world next year, blaming a fall in demand for new power stations and lack of investment for the cost-cutting drive. The proposal is to close the Power Services factory at Lichfield Road and the Leicester Road Power Conversion site in Rugby and transfer some of the activities to other GE Power sites.
