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| Mini production stops for a month | Mini production stops for a month |
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| Mini production is to be cut back and the factory closed for a month over Christmas, as the car industry reports falling sales in the UK. | Mini production is to be cut back and the factory closed for a month over Christmas, as the car industry reports falling sales in the UK. |
| Workers at the BMW-owned factories in Oxford and Swindon have been told the two-week Christmas shutdown is to be extended to four weeks this year. | Workers at the BMW-owned factories in Oxford and Swindon have been told the two-week Christmas shutdown is to be extended to four weeks this year. |
| It is thought that key workers such as maintenance and engineering staff will remain on site during the closure. | |
| Union Unite said the extended shutdown would not affect workers' pay. | Union Unite said the extended shutdown would not affect workers' pay. |
| The holiday was going to be from 18 December to 5 January, but will now start on 7 December. | The holiday was going to be from 18 December to 5 January, but will now start on 7 December. |
| It will affect about 4,700 workers across three shifts on the Oxford site. | |
| 'Difficult conditions' | 'Difficult conditions' |
| Earlier this week Jaguar Land Rover announced that a voluntary redundancy scheme was to be extended to hundreds of workers. | Earlier this week Jaguar Land Rover announced that a voluntary redundancy scheme was to be extended to hundreds of workers. |
| On Friday, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed new car sales in the UK were down 23% from a year ago. | On Friday, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders showed new car sales in the UK were down 23% from a year ago. |
| Mini sales in the UK during October were down 40% compared with a year ago. But a spokeswoman for the company said there had been a 12% increase on sales worldwide since last year. | |
| Roger Maddison, national officer at Unite, said: "We understand the very difficult economic conditions car manufacturers are facing. | Roger Maddison, national officer at Unite, said: "We understand the very difficult economic conditions car manufacturers are facing. |
| "We have robust agreements in place to protect our members as much as possible during these difficult times. | "We have robust agreements in place to protect our members as much as possible during these difficult times. |
| "However, we remain vigilant and we are keeping a close eye on developments in the car industry." | "However, we remain vigilant and we are keeping a close eye on developments in the car industry." |
| A spokesperson for Mini said: "Despite challenging economic conditions, Mini's worldwide sales remain 12.1% up on last year and production remains at about the same level as last year. | |
| "One of our strengths is our flexibility and this means that we are able to deal with fluctuations in the production programme". |