Thread for Geelong Ford workers

Falcon Freak · 19-07-2007, 08:07 AM

Any Ford Geelong employees on this forum? I am interested to hear your thoughts/concerns about yesterday's announcement.

I am also interested to hear whether this issue will affect your vote for the upcoming federal election.

FF

Focused · 19-07-2007, 12:34 PM

honestly mate, how old are you? "Used to be a Ford man" as a usertitle? your avatar is a photo of Gorman with a cross through it? and what has this got to do with the federal election? was howard meant to write another blank cheque to Ford so that they could further develop their own little engine for their own little market? Moving to the global V6 will be better in the long run.
Like a child chucking a tantrum...

TEaaron · 19-07-2007, 12:50 PM

Ownag3

mrgo40rd · 19-07-2007, 12:51 PM

they keep on doing it for mitso

ECOJET · 19-07-2007, 12:54 PM

oh for crying out loud.. its not like the employee's just got told to pack up and be gone by the end of the week..
its sad we cant produce our own motors, maybe itll happen again one day, but economies of scale makes this the far better option.
and like i said in another thread, its a debatable topic but the V engine is going to be a godsend for a falcon, itll shed weight, get better economy, perform as good or better, and make the car handle better...

Bucknaked · 19-07-2007, 12:57 PM

Falcon Freaked Out?

Thunder · 19-07-2007, 01:09 PM

I do recall the Federal Govt gave a truckload of cash to Ford 2 years ago to ensure that the Orion project was to go ahead. I cant see how on earth some people are bagging out the Libs on this problem.

The Federal government have done enough in the past to help Ford.

Whats better, keeping the Falcon an Australian made car with an imported engine, or just simply closing ford down and sacking everyone?

And for those that will no longer have a job at Ford, i am sorry to hear, but i think you will find you are the only people in the WORLD to get 3 years notice!

Sheesh, talk about tunnel vision.

XRated · 19-07-2007, 01:16 PM

Hopefully you're a Holden Freak now.

xe351 · 19-07-2007, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XRated

Hopefully you're a Holden Freak now.

i wouldnt wish that on anyone, lol

mcflux · 19-07-2007, 01:28 PM

He used to be a Ford man.

V6 or I6, it doesn't matter, he'll always be a tool virgin

holmsy · 19-07-2007, 01:32 PM

one of the guys in my pre app class does night shift in the engine plant and they had a meeting last night and he just laughed at how people wer cracking it at the managers.
the managers are loosing their jobs to. plus they have a long time to prepare and find another job. plus they get a payout when they leave anyway.

he just cant believe how ****ed everyone is. sure it sucks that ya gotta find another job but no use abusing other workers that have no control over it.

nommic · 19-07-2007, 01:36 PM

As many others have said, I'd rather see a V6 Falcon than no Falcon at all.

Does anyone seriously think things would have been different if Labor were in power? No political party runs Ford, and most of these big decisions are probably finalised overseas anyway.

Perana · 19-07-2007, 01:45 PM

Not to mention that in a lot of industries now 3 years is a long time to be in a Job.. They are lucky that they have that time to work out what they are going to do, unlike those at Mitsubishi when the Lonsdale plant shut and those at Holden when the 3rd shift shut down.

Best of luck to all of them with whatever the outcome is.

And FF.. Like it or not the Federal Government should not be dragged into this. What were they supposed to do, pour more money in? IMO your a shameless tool who is acting more like a child..

mattcosa · 19-07-2007, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcon Freak

Any Ford Geelong employees on this forum? I am interested to hear your thoughts/concerns about yesterday's announcement.

I am also interested to hear whether this issue will affect your vote for the upcoming federal election.

FF

It's great to see that because everybody buys Corolla and Mazda 3's that were going to vote and think differently.

Good news I think, cut the dead weight from Ford, and bring the company back into the 21st century, and bring our local product to the global scene.

Well done Ford on making the hard decisions for the future when the rest of the people whinge and whine (Unions) and bring companies to their knees, sending the remainder of the Broady workers to China.

Enjoy your Daewoos.

||| · 19-07-2007, 02:04 PM

it certainly will change my vote at the election.

i will be distributing the following on how to vote cards

[4] free pie party
[1] the no v6 party (i6 4 lyfe)
[3] labor
[2] liberals

FORD3V · 19-07-2007, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattcosa

It's great to see that because everybody buys Corolla and Mazda 3's that were going to vote and think differently.

Good news I think, cut the dead weight from Ford, and bring the company back into the 21st century, and bring our local product to the global scene.

Well done Ford on making the hard decisions for the future when the rest of the people whinge and whine (Unions) and bring companies to their knees, sending the remainder of the Broady workers to China.

Enjoy your Daewoos.

Do you think if it were up to the AWMU these people would be losing there jobs?

chevypower · 19-07-2007, 02:05 PM

What about last decade? The imported Ecotec 3.8L Buick V6 hooked up to the US-built GM Powertrain Turbo Hydramatic - nobody cared about that, Holden was still as Australian as ever. Not biased at all, but why is this one such a big deal? yes it involves workers jobs, giving them 3 years warning, with assistance on top of that. You cant keep making the same product for 100 yrs expecting it to sell well (you can only do it for 70 yrs), I think the outcome is better than any reasonable person would expect. if they remained unchanged any longer, the company would loose even more jobs. Wouldn't surprise me if Ford set up assembly for the Focus in Australia.

whiskieboy · 19-07-2007, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holmsy

one of the guys in my pre app class does night shift in the engine plant and they had a meeting last night and he just laughed at how people wer cracking it at the managers.
the managers are loosing their jobs to. plus they have a long time to prepare and find another job. plus they get a payout when they leave anyway.

he just cant believe how ****ed everyone is. sure it sucks that ya gotta find another job but no use abusing other workers that have no control over it.

Whats his name ? I probably know him, cos I know most of the guys in here.
As for everything else who cares. I've got 3 yrs to fins another job, and it wont make any difference to how I vote, because voting only encourages the mongrels.

holmsy · 19-07-2007, 02:09 PM

also. according to the guy i know that is loosing his job. ford knew about this but was trying to wait until after the orion release. but between about 30 higher up's it got leaked. (apparently)
he also said. dont bother buying an orion because now they dont really care :P

**Fordman1** · 19-07-2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falcon Freak

Any Ford Geelong employees on this forum? I am interested to hear your thoughts/concerns about yesterday's announcement.

I am also interested to hear whether this issue will affect your vote for the upcoming federal election.

FF

Not an employee but I'll say that your avatar is a vindictive & personal attack on a real individual you don't know personally nor do you know his nor FoA's REAL predicament..

IMO it is unacceptable.

Dave_au · 19-07-2007, 03:03 PM

FF why do you keep doing this?

You were doing this every fortnight on Aussiemagna for about 8 months with the 380's sales slump until you got banned from there, now your about to start on all the dire threads on FFAU.

What is the matter, the sky isn't falling in, Ford hasn't collapsed globally, Ford Australia hasn't collapsed, Falcon isnt a front wheel drive etc.

rodderz · 19-07-2007, 03:13 PM

I think all that can be said about Falcon Freaks statement has been said, and I hope that new or existing users don't think that this is an indication of how the rest of us as Ford fans, think about the situation.

brodfloyd · 19-07-2007, 03:51 PM

i must say i am glad to hear the sentiments of the people in this thread. i have found the media reports and the absolute rubbish that has been said on these forums quite disturbing. i myself were wrong, i thought this report was rubbish, but alas it is true and most of the points raised by the members in the above points and in other threads couldnt be more correct.

Unfortunatly, many australians fear change, some to the point where even a moments hurt for a long term gain will not even be considered.

and the media's reaction to this is disgusting for the most part, so many ill informed and scare mongering reports.

yes its a shame, a massive shame but its not unique to ford.

3 years is a very long time to know you need to find a new job.

those unable to get a job will get a redundancy package.

boycotting ford is the most stupid idea ever, whoever supports this should have their breathing rights revoked.

another point i would like to raise,
just because someone finished yr 10, can cast engine parts, or put engines together does not make you the master of economics/industrial relations or anything not related to what you are trained for. you are intitled to your opinion, and we all sympathise with you, but the media should not be taking your opinion as gospel, and this really annoys me that a poor guy who just found out he's gonna be fired is on the tv upset as hell telling everyone that ford is the devil and the public laps it up. the media should be more responsible.

good luck to all the employees for the future,, im sure there are exciting times ahead for the ford motor company

jonk · 19-07-2007, 04:14 PM

I remember reading about the engine plant issue with Ford and Holden ten years ago. It was to do with 'transfer pricing'. By undercutting the actual real price for a part from say Japan, thereby reducing taxation.

The Button car plan caused this, and it's been well known for a long time that prime components imported were going to save a lot of money for the car companies.

So Ford and Mitsubishi, have or are closing their engine plants. The other's get by because of secure export contracts - if you don't export it's looking dire.

King Nothing · 19-07-2007, 04:23 PM

FF I think you are missing a huge point. Ford doesn't need another government handout or tariff protection from imports. That just breeds complacency like it has done over the past decades. It needs to make a car that people want!

If ford didnt have such quality issues
If ford customer service was much better
If dealers treated people like people (I was hung up on when inquiring about a car! Yeah, like I'm ever giving THAT dealer a sale in my life!)
If warranties were honoured properly
If proper solutions to car problems were found, instead of bull**** like "its within tolerances"
If the damn cars werent showing signs of rust within 3-4 years!
If ford had better advertising (some have been good, some have been bad, overall IMO not enough)

The falcon doesn't need to be a fwd 4cyl to make people want it, dont panic! It's still the 3rd most selling car in the country, isnt it? If ford aus can save a hell of a lot of money developing their own engine, and spend more money on refining the car and fixing the points above, how can that be a bad thing? As long as the engine can do the job, which I hope and think Ford Aus will make sure of.

Saying that, I do feel for the Geelong workers and everyone else affected in this decision. It's always the poor working class guy who cops it. It's a hard thing to know your job is gone, or will change, regardless of how long the notice is. But they do have 3 years, and the suppourt of the government and ford. If I was made redundant, that would be the ideal way for me!

If YOU don't want a v6 falcon, don't buy one. Although I'll bet the general Australian public will.

bob^ · 19-07-2007, 05:20 PM

I work there, my brother works there, so does my father. My job is guaranteed until the end of 2010 as that is when my apprenticeship finishes.

This isn't the end of the world, but if you listen to the media it is the death of Ford and Geelong. Jobs aren't lost, no one has been sacked.

People have THREE years to get themselves sorted out, as opposed to other industries where people have turned up to work and found the gates locked and out of a job.
Many people will get relocated, and many will take redundancy packages.

The thing we have to remember, Ford isn't a charity, it is a business, a business that doesn't seem to be going that great at the moment. Sure they can keep engine plant running, and keep using the I6, but then what? Things get too tough and the whole company in Australia shuts its doors for good?

The media will be the death of this company though if it keeps going. So many reports about 600 workers sacked, which is far from the truth. It will hurt the sales figures right about now...

**Polyal** · 19-07-2007, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bob^

I work there, my brother works there, so does my father. My job is guaranteed until the end of 2010 as that is when my apprenticeship finishes.

This isn't the end of the world, but if you listen to the media it is the death of Ford and Geelong. Jobs aren't lost, no one has been sacked.

People have THREE years to get themselves sorted out, as opposed to other industries where people have turned up to work and found the gates locked and out of a job.
Many people will get relocated, and many will take redundancy packages.

The thing we have to remember, Ford isn't a charity, it is a business, a business that doesn't seem to be going that great at the moment. Sure they can keep engine plant running, and keep using the I6, but then what? Things get too tough and the whole company in Australia shuts its doors for good?

The media will be the death of this company though if it keeps going. So many reports about 600 workers sacked, which is far from the truth. It will hurt the sales figures right about now...

EXACTLY!!!!!!! Why dont the media get you on TV, but no, they want the feral Shazza and Dazza to come on bitching that they wont be able to feed there 10 children. Bah...

Ford where buggered either way. Say something now, and give people time, or leave it till 6 months out and say see ya later.

Damned if you do and damned if you dont.

I used to be skeptical that the media blew things up, but knowing what I know it has completely confirmed it, a real awakening, pretty terrible and irresponsible IMO, but what can ya do.

rodderz · 19-07-2007, 05:51 PM

Thanks for that post Bob, Falcon Freak could no doubt swing off the saddle of his high horse after he finds out what really happened.

Hunstman revealed in the other thread that media got wind of the factory closure and thus Ford were forced into admitting it, without a planned release of proper information that doesn't vilify the company, and let the workers and public know what else is happening.

I noticed on the news tonight Bracks has made mention of further plans to expand the manufacturing of Ford Aus, and the media reported the same thing.

andrewts · 19-07-2007, 05:57 PM

Well I feel bad about the shift in jobs, but hopefully Ford is able to pay out and/or re-absorb the workers. It is probably against the will of the workers, but I'm guessing Ford doesn't feel great about doing it, and at least they gave them 3 years notice.

As for the I6 going away, well I think it has to happen if Ford is to guarentee the future success of the company. I feel that Tom Gorman has made the right choice. By opening a global market previously unseen by the humble Aussie battler, it gives Ford the opportunity to fill the market niche for a large RWD sedan with decent power, price and economy in many countires including the US, and to provide a good, durable platform for the development of other models, ensuring success in the future.

Whilst we may pick on them for it, Holden is doing a clever thing by using global engines. They are able to -and do - export far more cars than we do, and the Yanks love them as well.

There comes a time when you have to let go and power ahead, and it is an exciting time as Ford drives us into the big leagues with an economically viable export opportunity and global platforms allowing many models are able to be cheaply produced worldwide. Just think, if the new Mustangs were based on the Falcon platform, we would be able to buy them in this country at a reasonable price! How cool would that be?

Neeek · 19-07-2007, 07:57 PM

Lordy, what a post! And what an avatar!

Yes, it's a shame that the plant will close. Yes, it's a shame that Falcons will be powered by a V rather than a straight six.

As others have said, 3 years is a long time. And that's plenty of time to find alternative employment. If you can't find another job in three bloody years, then something's seriously wrong or you're a deadbeat.

Feel passionately about Fords having straight sixes? Buy one now and keep a hold of it.

Want to complain about your involuntary redundency that's 36 months away? You have the right to whinge if your job is ending now and you're being paid out tomorrow, but otherwise just shut up and get over it. Factory worker, potato picker or managing director, 3 years is a massively long notice period. 3 MONTHS is long enough.

The world will always keep spinning, politicians will always lie and you'll still always have to pay taxes. Spare me the "woe is me/them/Ford" crap.

My (intolerent) 2 cents...