Management and union leaders at Vauxhall are stepping up efforts to find a new model or manufacturing partner for its Luton plant, where the Vivaro van is made, after announcing more than 350 jobs cuts at the operation.

A spokesman for General Motors said the company was hoping to secure 354 voluntary redundancies from the workforce of 1,500 in Luton “to right-size the business in line with the 2010 forecast production volume”.

The Luton workers, who produce the Vivaro van in a joint venture with Renault, were informed of the move yesterday, but the cuts, which are the equivalent of cancelling one shift at the plant had long been expected.

Under GM’s deal with Renault, the French company is contracted to take 30,000 vans from Luton each year until 2012.

Source: The Times