Holden people: life beyond the factory

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/dec/24/holden-people-life-beyond-the-factory

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Chloe Fennell, fuel pump technician and Holden enthusiast, South Australia

“My friend’s dad works at Holden and a couple of other people I know have been there over the years. I guess it will affect everyone somehow eventually.

“Mining is going a bit backwards at the moment, but hopefully that picks up and it stays in Australia. I doubt Holden’s pullout will affect us as far as jobs are concerned, but we’ll probably get inundated with job applications.

“There’s not many manufacturers left in Australia, let alone SA. It will open the way for the international market to finish off Australia’s automotive industry just as it has with everything else. We’ve only got Toyota left in Australia now.

“As a country we’re losing what we’ve been proud to have. You say to international visitors, ‘this is what we do over here’, but at the end of the day, most of our stuff is now marked with made in China, or Taiwan or whatever.”

Mark Nicholls, Holden worker, Victoria

“Holden has paid for a lot of our families to be educated, it’s paid for our homes, it has been a family. We are shocked to lose such an icon to Australia. It’s been very disappointing the way the government handled it. The way GM handled it wasn’t the best, either.

“I’m lucky enough to have adult children now. We’ve had the discussion. They are more disappointed for me because they know I’ve always been a Holden person and loved working for the company. They realise Holden has paid for their education.

“As someone aged over 50, it’ll hard to find a job. I haven’t started looking but I suppose I’ll have to make that decision very soon. Maybe minding. Maybe I’ll brew coffee or something. Who knows.

“I’ve been going to the same place to work, sometimes seven days a week, for the past 32 years. Going over the Westgate bridge, every day. Same place. All of a sudden I’m thinking ‘What am I going to do?’”

Rod Rebbeck, car part manufacturer, South Australia

“Before the announcement was made we put a lot of effort through a lot of people to keep Holden going and it was disappointing that this happened before the end of the productivity report, so I’m a little pissed about that. But it’s all over red rover now and it won’t be changed.

“We’ve got about 40 people here now. If we can’t replace the work from Holden, then I guess it’s probably 8 or 9 that will have to go.

“Automotive is about the last thing we’ve got going in Australia. I really feel for this country. I think we’ll be very disappointed in this decision in the years to come.

“I think a lot of people don’t recognise just how huge the ripple effect of this is going to be. We have transport trucks that take our seats out to Elizabeth at least once, sometimes twice a day. These guys won’t have a job because they basically work for us. And then there’s the guy who puts the tyres on the trucks, the guy who services the trucks, the bloke who services the forklift. When Holden leaves it’s crunch time.”

Sean Connolly, Holden worker, Victoria

“I’ve been at Holden for 24 years and I thought I’d finish my career with them. I was thinking about retirement. I’m really at the wrong age to be looking for a new career.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the workforce. There are guys in their 30s with big mortgages. They are very apprehensive.

“I think everyone thought Holden would be around forever. The reality is we make a very good product. They are closing the doors on the Commodore V8, which was the best car we’ve ever produced. That makes it harder to take.

“I didn’t expect this level of uncertainty in my life. I joke with my wife that she’ll have to keep me, but I don’t think that’s an option. I’ve still got a mortgage to pay off. I have no other option but to work, but it will be enormously hard to find one. Everyone is stunned at the moment, but it won’t properly sink in until they are forced to look for another job.”

Darren Kirwan, Holden worker, Victoria

“I’ve been at Holden for 13 years as an electrician. I did my apprenticeship there. I always thought there would be an opportunity to stay on.

“It’s been gut wrenching but I see no other outcome but the auto industry shutting down in Australia, which will have a big impact on the manufacturing industry.

“There’s a bit of a sombre mood at the moment. It’ll be worse for the older guys as they’ll have a problem getting back into the workforce. But even for the younger blokes, manufacturing will be non-existent in this country for them. There will be a lot of young people thinking ‘What’s the point of getting a trade?'

“I’d be having second thoughts about [becoming an electrician now], certainly. If people don’t build things, there’s not much call for electricians. What’s the point?”

Van Hua, cafe owner, South Australia

“Even though they’re still working, they have to save their money now for a rainy day. If we put ourselves in their shoes, we would do the same. Their children are still young. Their family is young. They have a mortgage to pay.

“There is nothing worse than finding out that you don’t have a job tomorrow. You don’t know if you can get another job or not, especially the older people.

“Indirectly or directly, the entire country will be affected. Say a husband works at Holden and his wife works in the hospital. When Holden shuts they will have just one income. This means they have to cut all their expenses, and, for example, buy less clothes for children. The clothing stores lose money. The textile guys suffers. There just won’t be as much money going around.”

Nick Gouvousis, Holden worker, Victoria

“As far as production goes, we knew the V6 line would be it. There was always a 50-50 chance we’d get the next generation cars to build but I didn’t think we’d lose the heart of it, the engineering.

“None of us saw it coming. I’ll probably take a good holiday in 2017. I’ve been there 25 years now but I’m concerned because I don’t think I’m over the hill just yet. I’m not even 50 and there aren’t many industries that require the same skills. There will be a big rush of 20,000 people looking for a job at once. It’ll all come down to whether employers like the look of you or not.”

Michael Claridge, car retailer, South Australia

“The complexities involved in this whole issue are enormous. I don’t think anyone understands what it takes to build a car. It’s a very complex business and the supply lines are enormous.

“The effect this will have on the SA economy is my overriding concern. There’s no doubt that the flow-on effects through to suppliers will be profound. As a state we’ve got some challenges ahead of us.

“The Holden brand will remain, it just that vehicles will be sourced from all over the world. The product line will remain, along with its servicing and parts supply. The really disappointing thing is we won’t be building them in Australia any more.

“We’ve got an upgrade for the Commodore coming in 18 months to two years. Holden flat out say it will be the best car to date that they’ve ever produced, and will definitely outperform value and features of anything else on the market. While it’s a sad day that production will cease in Australia, it sounds like we’re going to go out with a bang.”

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