It's good news for employees at the Vauxhall car production plant in Ellesmere Port, as plans are being put in place to allow the factory to keep running. It's good news for those looking to purchase the new Vauxhall vehicles too, as with the upgraded Vauxhall Insignia and the All-New Corsa causing waves on the market, there will be increased availability in months to come.
Vauxhall Ellesmere Port Is Leading the Way
The coronavirus has caused disruption on a massive scale, and many businesses have been forced to shut down as a consequence. However, Vauxhall has unveiled new social distancing measures for their plants, starting with Ellesmere Port within the next few weeks.
A number of social distancing measures will be put in place. These include:
- Red tape hanging down from the factory roof to keep workers at a 2-metre distance.
- Distancing markings on all floors across the plant, including the manufacturing, rest, and toilet areas.
- Separate entrances for different groups of staff.
There are other measures being put in place too.
Work and toilet areas will be cleaned on an hourly basis, face masks and eye protection will become compulsory, and training will be put in place to ensure all workers are familiar with the new measures that will be taking place. Temperature checks will also become compulsory, there will be controlled access to shared areas, and hand dryers will be replaced with paper towels to limit the chances of infection.
Car manufacturers on the continent are also planning to open soon, with limited operations to safely manage workers during the pandemic. Vauxhall Ellesmere Port is the lead in the UK, and it will be interesting to see how other automakers in the country respond in light of the efforts taken by Vauxhall to resume production.
Positive Times Ahead
There are about 1000 people employed at the Cheshire plant in Ellesmere Port, but they, like many, were forced out of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The plant officially closed on March 17th, and employees have been placed on furlough ever since. The news that they will finally be able to start work again will be good news for them and good news for the economy as a whole.
In an interview with The Guardian, David Connell, the HR director at Groupe PSA, the company that owns Vauxhall, said that work had been going on behind the scenes to determine how employees could return to work safely amid the outbreak.
The measures about be to put in place are as a result of discussions within Vauxhall, and we're sure they will continue to monitor the situation to ensure all staff members are kept safe during this difficult period. At a time when many people are facing financial difficulties because of the outbreak, it is good that Vauxhall is following government guidelines to ensure employees can return to work safely.
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Here at Drive, we continue to work with our customers through our digital sales departments, so get in touch if you're interested in any of the Vauxhall cars we have on sale. Thanks for reading, and please stay safe!