FORD has announced plans to cut 1,300 jobs in the UK over the next two years, a fifth of its total workforce in the country reports the BBC.
It is part of a major restructuring programme that will see the carmaker cut 3,800 jobs overall across Europe.
Ford is cutting back on development staff as it faces an uncertain economic future and prepares for the transition to electric vehicles.
Most of the UK cuts will be at its research site at Dunton in Essex.
Several hundred back-office posts are also expected to be closed at sites across the country. But production sites at Halewood, Dagenham and Daventry will not be affected.
The Unite union said it would be working with Ford to protect “as many jobs as possible”.
Conservative MP John Baron, whose Basildon and Billericay constituency includes the Dunton site, called the news “disappointing”.
“Whilst I understand that Ford are looking to make these cuts via voluntary separation programmes, I know it will be a worrying time for my constituents who are employed at the Dunton site.”
