Jaguar Land Rover is ready to relocate production of the reknowned Discovery from Birmingham to Slovakia next year.
As it announced its decision to move to Europe, Jaguar admitted there will be job losses in the UK.
An official statement said: “The potential losses of some agency employed staff in the UK is a tough one but forms part of our long-term manufacturing strategy as we transform our business globally.”
There are almost 2,000 agency workers at the Solihull plant out of its workforce of 10,000.
Previously, JLR said the manufacture of the Discovery would be split between Solihull and Slovakia with all cars either electric, hybrid, petrol or diesel by 2020.
Prof David Bailey, motor industry specialist at Aston Business School, is quoted as saying that previous job losses at JLR and production cut backs at Castle Bromwich this latest development was negative.
Steve McCabe, business expert at Birmingham City University, said the the numbers of jobs lost for many families this news will be truly devastating.
JLR’s new factory in the Slovak city of Nitra is due to begin production by the end of the year and will have a capacity of 300,000 vehicles. It already employs 1,400 people.
