The restructuring events database contains factsheets with data on large-scale restructuring events reported in the principal national media and company websites in each EU Member State. This database was created in 2002.
Manufacturing (22 - 23) Manufacture of rubber, plastic and non-metallic minerals 22 - Manufacture of rubber and plastic products 22 - Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
585 - 624 jobs Number of planned job losses
Announcement Date
5 April 2006
Employment effect (start)
Foreseen end date
Description
Tyre-maker Goodyear Dunlop has announced it is ending production at its Wearside factory, with the loss of 585 jobs. The company said it could no longer compete with competitors in Eastern Europe and the Far East. Tyres have been produced at the Washington site since 1968, with Goodyear Dunlop taking control in 2004. The company said meetings with union officials representing staff at the plant were ongoing. A further 39 jobs at the company's Wolverhampton plant, which supplies parts to Washington, may also be lost.
Mark Wilson, regional officer of the GMB union, said: "This is devastating news for the workers and their families and for the economy of Tyne and Wear.
'We are seeking an urgent meeting with the company to understand the nature of the problem. We will be exploring every possible avenue to save these jobs, including the possibility of selling the plant as a going concern.'
The factory, near Sunderland, makes tyres for family cars.
Citation
Eurofound (2006), Goodyear Dunlop, Closure in United Kingdom, factsheet number 63298, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/63298.