Taskforce plan to help Goodyear workers

The Stafford Road site is to close in 2017 although city council bosses are still hoping to persuade them to stay.

This morning the council, Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds, Job Centre Plus, the government's Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Local Enterprise Partnership, held an emergency meeting at Wolverhampton Civic Centre.

Council leader Roger Lawrence said: "We cannot stress enough how much we hope Goodyear reconsider this proposal to close the factory.

"Goodyear has been in the city for decades and there are many families who have been left shocked and devastated by this news.

"Should the worst happen we must find a way forward for those affected by the proposed closure in January 2017.

"A taskforce would provide practical support to those facing redundancy and help them find new opportunities in the city, where a number of companies are growing thanks to our regeneration efforts, which are starting to bear fruit."

Miss Reynolds added: "I called for an urgent meeting with Goodyear and I met with the senior management yesterday afternoon. I urged them to reconsider their decision. I have spoken both to trade union representatives and some Goodyear workers. I understand that the factory is both highly productive and profitable.

"The announcement came as a shock and is a bitter blow for the company's employees, their families and our city. Their workers are highly skilled, hardworking and committed. The factory's industrial relations have been exemplary even during the recession when employees worked shorter hours to help the company.

"We hope there might still be a possibility the company will reconsider its decision and we will be working with both the company's management and trade unions to find a way forward.

"In the meantime, should redundancies happen, we are working towards establishing a support taskforce – and we would also encourage Goodyear to be part of that."