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| Final car rolls off Ryton's line | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The final car has rolled off the production line at Peugeot's Ryton Plant near Coventry marking the end of 60 years of car making at the site. | |
| The plant closes in January with the loss of 2,300 jobs as production of the 206 is moved to Slovakia. | The plant closes in January with the loss of 2,300 jobs as production of the 206 is moved to Slovakia. |
| The final car, a grey 206 model, came off the line during the afternoon. | |
| Union leaders have bitterly opposed the decision to close the plant. The firm said everything possible had been done to help workers to find new jobs. | |
| Most staff stop work on Friday, when the plant closes for the holidays, but the official closure date is 8 January. | Most staff stop work on Friday, when the plant closes for the holidays, but the official closure date is 8 January. |
| We can never forgive the company for the damage they have inflicted on you, your families and your communities Jim O'Boyle, the Transport and General Workers Union's | We can never forgive the company for the damage they have inflicted on you, your families and your communities Jim O'Boyle, the Transport and General Workers Union's |
| A small number of staff will be back at work next month to decommission the site. | A small number of staff will be back at work next month to decommission the site. |
| The company said it had studied a union plan aimed at saving Ryton, but said it was not viable because it would cost an extra £70m a year to build a new model there compared with Slovakia. | The company said it had studied a union plan aimed at saving Ryton, but said it was not viable because it would cost an extra £70m a year to build a new model there compared with Slovakia. |
| In a final message to workers Jim O'Boyle, the Transport and General Workers Union's convener at Ryton, said: "We all know the sense of anger and betrayal many of you felt following the announcement of the closure. | |
| "This was compounded by the company's callous decision to bring forward the closure to Christmas, in direct contradiction of the promise they made to maintain production at Ryton until mid-2007." | "This was compounded by the company's callous decision to bring forward the closure to Christmas, in direct contradiction of the promise they made to maintain production at Ryton until mid-2007." |
| He said the company had remained "impervious" to calls for a reversal of the closure or for compensation for the early shut down. | He said the company had remained "impervious" to calls for a reversal of the closure or for compensation for the early shut down. |
| "This response from the company has hurt everybody deeply. | "This response from the company has hurt everybody deeply. |
| "We can never forgive the company for the damage they have inflicted on you, your families and your communities," he said. | "We can never forgive the company for the damage they have inflicted on you, your families and your communities," he said. |
| Help with training | Help with training |
| A company spokesman said a total of 6,000 job opportunities had been offered to workers and there were still 70 jobs within the company in Coventry that had not been taken up. | A company spokesman said a total of 6,000 job opportunities had been offered to workers and there were still 70 jobs within the company in Coventry that had not been taken up. |
| "Throughout this difficult period the group has made every effort to support its employees," the firm said in a statement. | "Throughout this difficult period the group has made every effort to support its employees," the firm said in a statement. |
| "Every worker leaves with an industry-leading redundancy package of between one and three years' salary and comprehensive support has been in place to help employees find new jobs." | "Every worker leaves with an industry-leading redundancy package of between one and three years' salary and comprehensive support has been in place to help employees find new jobs." |
| More than 1.3 million Peugeot 206 models have been built at Ryton since 1998, with more than four million cars produced since the plant opened in 1940. | More than 1.3 million Peugeot 206 models have been built at Ryton since 1998, with more than four million cars produced since the plant opened in 1940. |