JLR to cut thousands of jobs as minister meets boss
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds to meet Jaguar Land Rover boss and Unite union as thousands of job cuts loom at the UK carmaker.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds meets JLR and Unite union
- Reports indicate up to 4,000 jobs may be lost in the restructuring
- Voluntary redundancy program opened for salaried and management staff
- Pressures mount from declining sales, tariffs, and cyber attack aftermath
UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is set to hold meetings with the top executives of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) alongside representatives from the Unite union. The discussions aim to address the fallout from expected thousands of job reductions at the prominent British automotive manufacturer.
JLR confirmed to the BBC that it has initiated a voluntary redundancy program, providing salaried personnel and management team members an opportunity to exit the enterprise. This development arrives roughly a year after a major cyber attack crippled the company's manufacturing operations and brought production to a complete halt for over a month.
Although the corporation has not officially validated the exact headcount figures, The Times reported that as many as 4,000 positions could be eliminated. These cutbacks are believed to primarily target white-collar and office personnel, driven by mounting headwinds from international tariffs and weakening sales volumes.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Addressing the prospective layoffs, Reynolds noted that for an enterprise the size of JLR—recognized as a major British success story—fluctuations in direct employment numbers naturally occur across different phases of its business cycle. Meanwhile, Chancellor John Healey is preparing to deliver an address in the Midlands on Monday, pledging to stimulate economic growth by revamping how the government evaluates infrastructure investments in sectors like transport and housing. JLR maintains its corporate headquarters in Coventry, West Midlands.
"Death by a thousand cuts has been going on under the nose of successive governments"
Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham criticized the situation, stating that the union had previously issued warnings regarding a looming "perfect storm" facing the automotive sector. She added that intensive negotiations had taken place over the weekend focused on mitigating workforce reductions.
This wave of workforce reductions highlights the severe structural pressures facing the UK automotive industry. Beyond recovering from a devastating cyber attack in late 2025 that cost an estimated £1.9bn and caused a 27% drop in production, legacy carmakers are struggling to meet stringent government mandates requiring zero-emission vehicle sales to reach 80% by 2030, forcing heavy investments and operational streamlining.
JLR currently sustains approximately 30,000 jobs across its domestic UK operations, alongside roughly 10,000 employees situated internationally. Back in July, the firm communicated smaller-scale cost-saving measures anticipated to affect fewer than 300 personnel, prior to the announcement of these wider structural adjustments.
Source: BBC Business
Found something wrong in this article? Report an issue with this article
Comments
Leave a Comment