A notice issued to staff explained the changes, leaving some with concerns
There are concerns for the futures of some workers at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) site in Halewood after a major change was announced. In a message to its workers, JLR said it has ‘reached agreement’ with a new partner for a key part of its business.
The change concerns what is referred to as linefeed operations at the Halewood site. This contract is currently operated by DHL at Halewood, but that is now going to change.
A message sent to workers from JLR last week stated: “As part of normal business practice, JLR regularly reviews and tenders its supplier contracts to drive innovation and maintain efficiency and competitiveness. Over the past months we have been undertaking a tender of our UK linefeed logistics – the partner organisations that deliver parts lineside within our production facilities.”
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The notice explained that at Halewood, the DHL contract will be taken over by another company. This change will come into effect from April next year. The notice added: “Our new partners have been selected following a detailed tender process and will support the continuation of our Reimagine journey. Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) will apply to all affected employees and the suppliers will now work together to manage this process.”
It added: “It is important to note that this decision is not a reflection of the teams’ collective efforts and over the coming months we will work with all parties to ensure a smooth transition for people and operations. Please continue to act with kindness and show support to our supplier teams impacted by the change.”
In response to the news, a spokesperson for DHL Supply Chain said: “Following a review of its business practice, JLR has confirmed plans to transfer its operations based in Halewood, Solihull and Castle Bromwich to alternative providers effective April 1 2025.
“Affected staff have been informed of the situation and will shortly enter consultation with the company and union representatives to discuss transferring to new providers under TUPE regulations. DHL will continue to provide service to JLR’s Logistics Operations Centre (LoC) and Freight. We would like to thank our colleagues for their continued support and commitment throughout the partnership.”
TUPE regulations cover employees if the work they do is transferred to a new employer. It means that staff are entitled to the same terms and conditions of their initial employment when the changes are made. However after the transfer, the new employer may make further changes.
It is this that is causing concern for some of those affected at JLR. One employee who works alongside the staff on the linefeed team said: “I have spoken to a few of the workers. They don’t know if they will keep their jobs. They don’t know if they will have to take pay cuts and are worried about their pensions.”