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Anxious wait for UK staff as Toyota cuts
13.02.09
TOYOTA'S 5000 British workers are watching anxiously as the company, struggling to contain big losses, says it will freeze wages and offer voluntary redundancy to plant workers in North America.
Earlier reports in Tokyo said the company would introduce similar measures in the UK, but the firm has yet to unveil those plans.
In the US, Toyota will cut pay for factory executives and eliminate bonuses for all salaried employees.
It is also making further cuts in its assembly schedule for April, and creating a “job-sharing” programme to reduce working hours at some plants, said Mike Goss, spokesman for the company's US operations.
In a sign UK workers may escape with their jobs at least for now, he said: “We're not laying anybody off.”
Workers who do not accept the work-sharing arrangement, expected to begin by the end of the month, reportedly can apply for early retirement.
