By Goya Dmytryshchak
Thousands of job losses are sweeping the western suburbs as Toyota Australia stopped making cars at its Altona plant on Tuesday, signalling the end of auto manufacturing in Victoria.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union divisional secretary Dave Smith said more than 2600 direct employees and at least 3000 supply-chain workers would be losing their jobs.
The factory closure signals the end of $1billion in annual exports for cars and parts.
At Laverton North, Toyota car-seat manufacturer Toyota Boshoku is understood to have started slashing the jobs of close to 400 workers on Monday.
Components importer and manufacturer Toyota Tsusho confirmed some of its western suburbs companies would be downsized while others would close.
Croatian-born St Albans resident Damir Dakovic started work at the Altona plant in 1996, a year after it opened.
“It’s a sad time for all us, for all Victoria and all Australia,” he said.
“I learned my English here and I met all my friends – Asians, Europeans and Australians. And I got the opportunity also to be employee rep.
“All my family are driving Toyota cars and I believe I will drive Toyota for rest of my life.”
The last Toyota Camry went down the Altona production line about noon on Tuesday.
Melton South’s Matthew Kinson, an employee for nearly 19 years, said he had a feeling of pride whenever a Toyota passed, and as one of the only Aussies to have made a hybrid car.
“Something that I always reflect back on when a Camry passes me is, I could have made that car,” he said. “It’s a bloody good car to drive – made in Australia.”
Sunshine West’s Michael Spiteri, a Toyota worker for about 22 years, said he was going for a job interview in security work next week.
“Hopefully, that pans out well for myself,” he said. “I’ve got a family, married with two kids, so moving into a new job is important for me with mortgages and bills that never stop.”
Toyota Tsusho human resources general manager Ruth Anderson said the parent company would be downsizing while several subsidiaries would close.
“We have TT Steel Centre (at Laverton North) and we had our first people from there leave last Friday [October 22] and there will be ongoing redundancies now for largely the remainder of the year,” she said.
Toyota Australia president Dave Buttner said 1300 workers Australia-wide would be retained and the Altona site would be developed into a centre of excellence.
“Altona will house our expanded design and engineering capabilities,” he said.
what’s happened,
“We’re all nervous, but we will wait to see. We can’t expect too much but we believe we’ve got a good future.
as the workers became officially unemployed
“For us, you look at the Camry sitting out there and there’s a 50 per cent chance that we’ve had something to do with that car.
“Everyone that drives past you, you’ve either done something to it or you know someone who’s done something to it.
“It’s just that feeling that gives you a sense of pride to say well, we made this car here, but the sad thing is, you’re not going to see those newer cars drive past you that anyone here has done any more.
.5
Not only myself, but
, so I’m going pretty much going to look into employment straight away – that’s if I get a job straight away
Components importer and manufacturer Toyota Tsusho at Laverton North confirmed significant job losses because of Toyota’s closure.
that will enhance the company’s business and the community
“There will be in total 30-odd people going from Toyota Tsusho and we’ve had the first lot go today [last Friday] and we have another company called Car and Wheel Assembly at Altona North and they will be finishing and there will be about 30 people going from there, but the first tranche of them also finished today [Friday].
“We’re suppliers to Toyota, we’re a tier-one supplier – we supply to Toyota and we supply to Boshuko.”
A worker at Toyota Boshoku in Laverton North, manufacturer of Toyota’s seats and interiors, said workers were shattered.
“Monday was their last day and I also believe that there’s close to 400 employees that will be losing their jobs,” said the worker who asked not to be named. “A lot of people are still obviously in shock, very sad,” they said. “Most people were going on holidays I think, just to have a break., and then when they come back … “The majority of people of the people that work there, I believe may be from the western suburbs, say Saint Albans, and the majority of people employed there are Vietnamese.”
