Honda workers in Swindon expressed their anger and fears for the future on Monday over the expected closure of the plant, blaming Brexit for a loss that they said would send shockwaves through the town.
After news broke of the likely closure in 2022, with the loss of 3,500 jobs, one worker leaving the plant said the atmosphere inside was “clearly not very happy”.
The man, who like most workers absorbing the news did not wish to be named, has been with the company for 24 years. He blamed Brexit for the car giant’s decision. He said he had voted remain in the EU referendum and condemned the local Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson for campaigning for Brexit.
“He wanted Brexit – he gets to carry the can. If he’s not unseated by a massive majority at the next election then this town gets what it deserves,” he said.
Before the referendum – in which 55% of the town backed leave – the site was a “perfectly viable car plant operating for 30 years, no problem at all”, he said. “As soon as Brexit comes along the plant needs investment.”
He said he thought the government was “completely incompetent” and felt “pretty hacked off” by the news.
Another man asked how he felt as he left the site replied: “Devastated. That’s all I can say.”
Union leaders echoed that view, with Unite’s Des Quinn saying closure would represent “a shattering body blow at the heart of UK manufacturing”.
The news comes as a particular shock in a community that has been relatively well insulated from the difficulties that have accompanied Brexit. Swindon, which has high employment and low immigration, is not typically seen as being at the sharp end of the referendum result. The city is ranked seventh in the country for productivity and has the second lowest percentage of residents in the country with no formal qualifications, according to the council.
But some more deprived areas of the town have seen few of the benefits that have accrued to the better-off areas.
Another worker said Honda – which builds 160,000 Civic cars a year at the plant – was integral to Swindon. “For the people and their families, it’s big, big news and this will have a huge effect,” he said.
He said that so far all he had heard were rumours. “We’ve not found out anything yet – I’ve not even had chance to read the report,” he said. “I’ve got a mortgage to pay off. I don’t know anything about it other than what people were saying on my lunch break.”
He also felt Brexit was to blame. “People voted for something without thinking of the consequences – it is what it is,” he said.
While other workers also said they had not heard any official statements from management, one said she could neither deny nor confirm a meeting had been called for 8am on Tuesday.
Alan Tomala, regional officer for the Unite union who worked at the plant between 1995 and 2007, said workers were “angry, dismayed and worried”.
“If the speculation is to be confirmed, 3,500 jobs are at risk,” Tomala said. “The usual formula is one job in the plant equates to four in the supply chain and the local economy. If closure is confirmed, it will rip the heart out of this area.”
