Ford Motors cuts a further 450 jobs in Aus

Ford Motors has announced it would cut 450 jobs in Australia because of falling sales and the global financial crisis, taking total job losses by 2010 to 1,400.

Ford Motors has announced on Thursday it would cut 450 jobs in Australia because of falling sales and the global financial crisis, taking total job losses by 2010 to 1,400.

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The latest cuts would be on a voluntary basis and it was expected that enough employees would claim redundancy, Ford Australia chief executive Marin Burela told a news conference.

"The steps are necessary actions to ensure that we right-size the business, to ensure that we can operate and operate effectively in a very dynamic and changing marketplace here in Australia," he said.

"We don't take these steps and these actions lightly, but we are committed to working with our employees and our union partners to provide a smooth transition for our people as we move forward."

The job cuts follow a strategic review amid a deterioration in the business in recent months and are the "right thing to do" to position the company in the current environment, he said.

Burela said the job losses would cover all the company's operations in Victoria state and would be equally spread between its Geelong and Broadmeadows plants.

In August, Ford announced 350 jobs were to go from the factories in mid-November, while 600 jobs are to be cut by 2010 with the closure of the Geelong engine plant.

Ford is the third-largest selling auto brand in Australia, with an 11.9 per cent market share in calendar 2006, compared with 22.2 per cent for Toyota and 15.2 per cent for the General Motors-owned Holden.