D Day for Holden

[juc33_prado Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close juc33_prado]

Even if you take away China in 5-10-15 years time as their labour cost increases, there will always be a replacement; South America, India, are all waiting in line to jump onto the manufacturing bandwagon that China has ridden for the last 15 years.

Australia needs to shift our business focusses. Our Universities are regarded as some of the best in the world as such why student flock here in droves. We need to retain these once graduated so we shift from manufacture to R&D and economic services. It is the logical option.

[AJ120 Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close AJ120]

Australia needs to shift our business focusses. Our Universities are regarded as some of the best in the world as such why student flock here in droves. We need to retain these once graduated so we shift from manufacture to R&D and economic services. It is the logical option.

Great theory, except not everyone is cut out to go to university. What about the 50 something year olds that have worked on the production line all their working life, what happens to them?

There is no easy answer to this, but one thing is for sure, if Holden goes, many many people's lives will be devastated and they will not recover or find suitable meaningful employment elsewhere.

Cheers Andrew

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

Just caught it on the radio. Breaking news is it's all over. Holden have made a press release stating they will transition to a national sales company in 2017. No more engine or vehicle manufacturing.

I'm sure more details will come out through out the day. There is a meeting for all employees at the Adelaide plant at 2pm.

Mick

[photoprado Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close photoprado]

This is bad news for the employees.

The writing has been on the walls since the 1970's when the Japanese started brining in better, more efficient and cheaper cars than what was produced here. You have to wonder what the local industry would be like today if they had dropped the big engined large cars and adopted what would become the mainstay of private transport back then.

And recently, instead of looking to the future and producing EV's they run around with token hybrids. Maybe when they're gone, a real Aussie venture will begin, filling the void left by these yank iron foreign directed cookie cutters.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

I work in the area of insolvency. We all appreciate the need for employment opportunities and that government can, should and will assist from time to time. There are many opportunities to turn around a failed business and then have it not only recover, but thrive.

Unfortunately propping up a terminally ill manufacturing operation is not a solution, it is life support for a company (in Holdens case) that makes profits when it wants too. There is NO medium or long term benefit for the economy in propping up car manufacturing in Australia. Mitsubishi collapsed despite 130 mill (the last cheque) being put in, Ford have already said they are out by 2016 (I expect sooner) and Holden, well lets say working in the field I do in South Australia, I will bet they are not here in 2017 and definitely not by 2020. The signs are evident and there temporary delays are NOT assisting the South Australian economy at all. I do hope the government decides not to fund them, but rather devotes that money to temporary assistance and retraining of the loyal people that have been part of the Holden plant for many years and got nothing substantial in return.

PS, want cheap land in South Australia? make an absurd offer on any commercial properties around the Holden plant, you wont have any competition.

2017, guess I was right: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nati...-1226780453890 If only someone had taken up my offer I could afford some new toys for the rig.

I agree with the builder example above. My old man was been employed/unemployed all his life without a cent from anyone.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

Just caught it on the radio. Breaking news is it's all over. Holden have made a press release stating they will transition to a national sales company in 2017. No more engine or vehicle manufacturing.

I'm sure more details will come out through out the day. There is a meeting for all employees at the Adelaide plant at 2pm.

Mick

That would be those employees that agreed to a wage drop too. Bloody criminal by Holden to suck them in then spit them out on that deal.

[MidLifeCrisis Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close MidLifeCrisis]

Agree but have you taken into account the flow on affect?

Also retraining sounds good but what field, already 60% probably 70% work in local service industries.

How many people do you know that work for a company that actually brings money into Australia?

Bottom line is we can't all work for local service industries as their will be no one with money left to pay for our services!

Leigh

Hi Leigh
I have seen the flow on effect first hand as the appointed administrator/liquidator over a number of related companies already, with at least one of them being a public company group.

[Danda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Danda]

Without wanting to get into an argument, Davy. If all these guys lose their jobs, that will be 20,000 less clients for the building industry. Its the flow on effects that really matter.

No Danger there mate it's not worth an argument all I was saying was us builders get NOTHING when this happen's but a car industry does ???
so right your car's more important than your house ??? no seriously we CANNOT compete with the likes of Hyudai etc they'll work 16 / 18 hours a day for a whole lot less than we do so there lies the number 1 problem add to that "extras" on our cars are standard with the competitons cars so all we're doing is throwing good money after bad, the fact is we simply cannot compete with them,
just my 2 bobs..........................BTW when I did get laid off I would go truck driving, labouring, courier, you name it I done it because at the end of the day the government wont put food on my table , so when you realise it's down to you you'll do what ever you have to to make ends meet and thats all I meant by stand on your own 2 feet because you cant rely on any one to keep bailing you out, geez I'm ranting now , lol sorry buddy just one of my pet hates................
regards,
Davo

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

us builders get NOTHING

First home owners grant, social housing federal stimulus, Defence housing federal stimulus, Federal building stimulus package for schools (gyms/halls), Federal new schools stimulus package, Construction industry stimulus program through infrastructure projects.
All matched by most state governments to some extent at their level.

You may not get direct cash in your pocket but the building industry is heavily reliant on various government funding and stimulus programs to the tune of billions of dollars.

[Danda Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Danda]

First home owners grant, social housing federal stimulus, Defence housing federal stimulus, Federal building stimulus package for schools (gyms/halls), Federal new schools stimulus package, Construction industry stimulus program through infrastructure projects.
All matched by most state governments to some extent at their level.

You may not get direct cash in your pocket but the building industry is heavily reliant on various government funding and stimulus programs to the tune of billions of dollars.

And the actual builder gets ................................???
just to clarify we dont get sick pay, holiday pay, redundancy, long service, in a nutshell we only get what we put in on a day by day basis, theres no retraining for us and because we're nearly all ways self employed (not all ways out of choice) no dole and who's hollering for us ?
no one, not even complaining but it should be the SAME for ALL...............!

[MickL Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close MickL]

And the actual builder gets ................................???

To stay in work when there's low private investment in the industry.....
Government money is government money... whether you get lump sums like the car industry or other stimulus programs like the building industry.

[kav Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close kav]

Unfortunately the building stimulus was sucked up by the major players in the building industry , not by the average joe builder and his contractors . The building industry like most industry in Aus is only now after about six years of shit government just starting to show signs of being on the upturn thanks to increased consumer confidence bought about by the demise of guess who .

[sapradogxl Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close sapradogxl]

Is the $150m better spent on assisting holden, or on retraining/govt assistance. $150m is the same taxpayers money no matter who it goes to!

[Pog Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pog]

That would be those employees that agreed to a wage drop too. Bloody criminal by Holden to suck them in then spit them out on that deal.

Did they actually take a pay cut, or agree to a wage freeze?

They have a VERY good pay deal anyway, and no doubt, will get more than generous redundancies, matched by the govt. At the end of the day, a lot of the workers are not the sharpest tools in the shed...

It is a pity, but their cars are not competitive against imports, the unions have driven up employment costs in this sector, and a heap of other taxes have made GMH look to manufacturing some where else.

[mjrandom Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close mjrandom]

I don't agree that the Commodore doesn't stack up against imports. The current VF is a great car, just too little too late. The Cruze which is the other local is about par at best, my son bought a diesel manual and it is pretty fair but I think I still would have looked elsewhere.

GM HQ have decided to become an importer and retailer of cars in Oz and nothing could stop that. I think that GM will find that their products in the marketplace have less appeal than competitors and any loyalty will vanish. Other than my GTS I would not be looking at anything else in the line up. Mazdas ute is better than the Colorado, the less said about the Malibu the better. The rest of the range are bettered by the other many cars in their group.

Over the years I have owned quite a few of the local products, Ford, Holden, FPV and HSV and despite their failings I don't regret a single one. Frustrated at times but still no regrets. And the GTS, well that is one hell of a swan song.