Just over a year ago, at the Ford Almussafes plant, more than 1,100 workers said goodbye due to the loss of models in production. This marked a significant blow to one of the industrial pillars of the Valencian Community, although it was somewhat understood in the context of the shift towards producing electric cars in the future. However, just 13 months later, with the focus on electric cars changing to maintaining hybrids, that hard hit has been overshadowed by a new workforce reduction plan announced by the oval brand this week. The plan aims to cut up to 1,622 jobs from the factory.
This new adjustment will result in a reduction of almost two-thirds of the 9,300 employees the plant had in 2015. This significant loss of jobs, around 6,000 workers, has been primarily experienced in the last five years, during which Ford has implemented four workforce reduction plans in addition to several temporary layoffs. These actions have led to a reduction equivalent to that seen between 1990 and 2019.
The impact of these plans has varied over time. The first two, in 2020 and 2021, were relatively less severe, resulting in a combined reduction of around a thousand employees during a challenging period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and production and supply difficulties. Following these, the 2023 reduction plan came after the disappearance of three models – the Mondeo in 2022, and the S-Max and Galaxy in 2023. This plan included early retirements at age 53 and voluntary exits with bonuses of up to 40,000 euros for younger employees.
The new proposal from Ford mostly does not include these conditions. The current plan includes 626 permanent voluntary departures and 996 objective dismissals with the possibility of rehiring in 2027, with the latter being less costly for the company at 20 days per year worked.
Beyond the negotiations, the new workforce reduction plan, justified by the discontinuation of the Transit van and a decrease in production of the EcoBoost engine, will bring the Almussafes plant workforce to its historical minimum of around 3,200 employees since its opening in 1976. This marks a new challenging chapter in nearly half a century of ups and downs for the plant.
After a successful start in the late 1970s with the Ford Fiesta becoming the most iconic model at the plant and reaching over 10,000 employees, the 1980s were relatively stable. However, the early 90s saw the plant surpass 300,000 vehicles produced annually for the first time with models like the Fiesta, Escort, and Orion.
From then on, there was a steady decline in employees, hitting a low point in 2011 after losing models like the Mazda 2, Ka, and Focus, with only 5,601 workers remaining. The shift towards larger vehicles following the closure of the Genk plant in Belgium led to a resurgence, with models like the Mondeo and Kuga helping the plant surpass 9,000 employees again.
The Kuga model will remain a mainstay at Almussafes until the arrival of the new global hybrid. This new vehicle, producing 300,000 units per year, is expected to be a beacon of hope after a challenging journey that will once again reduce the plant’s production capacity.
In conclusion, the Ford Almussafes plant has faced significant workforce reductions over the years, reflecting the changing landscape of the automotive industry. Despite the challenges, the plant continues to adapt to new technologies and market demands to remain competitive and sustainable in the future.