10 April, 2006
ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industries
6-7 April 2006
Istanbul, Turkey
The day before the opening of the ICEM World Conference for the Rubber Industry in Istanbul, US-based tyre company Goodyear Tire & Rubber announced its intention to close two European plants. Goodyear Dunlop is to end production at its Washington factory in Tyne and Wear, UK, with the loss of 585 jobs. A further 39 jobs could be lost in another company’s plant in Wolverhampton, UK, which is a supplier of components to the Washington factory.
Goodyear will also stop the production of bicycle tyres in its Polish factory in Debica with the loss of 320 jobs.
Together with planned savings from other business units, Goodyear expects to cut a total of 1,500 jobs.
The delegates at the ICEM world conference expressed serious concern about this plan. They fully support their sister trade unions in the UK and in Poland in their fight for the workplaces of their members.
For a big multinational company like Goodyear, the use constant use of redundancies to try to cut costs is a very poor sign. A challenging market needs investment and R&D activities, instead of plant closures all over the world.
The ICEM and its affiliated trade unions strongly urge the management of Goodyear to show social responsibility and help the workers in both plants getting the chance to save the future of their families.