JLR worker son 'worried' over extended shutdown

Theresa and Paul Lawrence-Williams said JLR employees tended to rely on overtime to supplement their wages

The parents of a Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) worker say he is worried about the knock-on effects of a cyber attack that has forced the car maker to further extend a shutdown.

Theresa and Paul Lawrence-Williams, from Solihull, said their son had just moved into a new house and employees tended to rely on overtime to boost their wages.

JLR's production lines have not operated for more than two weeks, and it has now confirmed production will not start again until at least 1 October.

Industry expert Prof David Bailey, from Birmingham Business School, said the extended shutdown means the hit to revenue could reach as much as £2.2bn.

Mr Lawrence-Williams told BBC Radio WM his son was on a flat rate and many workers usually made up money through extra shifts and other things that were currently not available.

"They tend to rely on overtime, Saturdays and Sundays, and the shift allowance, so they're getting that rate at the moment," he said.

Asked if their son was worried about how long the situation would continue for, Mrs Lawrence-Williams said he was, but he believed staff would be back to work in October or November.

"Hopefully it's not November, because, yeah, he's gonna have problems," she added.

Production lines have not operated for more than a fortnight

Prof Bailey said JLR would currently be "burning through the cash".

"It's JLR's responsibility to keep JLR going, the government at some point are going to start having to look at supporting the supply chain," he said.

Workers, suppliers and partners were told earlier of the extended production pause.

"[It will] give clarity for the coming week as we build the timeline for the phased restart of our operations and continue our investigation", a JLR spokesperson said.

They added teams were working "around the clock" with cyber security specialists and law enforcement "to ensure we restart in a safe and secure manner".

"We fully recognise this is a difficult time for all connected with JLR and we thank everyone for their continued support and patience," the spokesperson explained.

'Hope he doesn't struggle'

JLR, which has plants in Solihull, Wolverhampton and Merseyside, employs about 30,000 people directly, with a further 100,000 working in the firm's supply chain and 60,000 who rely on the spending of these workers, Prof Bailey said.

Mrs Lawrence-Williams said: "[My son's] been off for... three weeks now.

"He's just moved into his new place and I think [he's] gonna feel the pinch.

"Hopefully he doesn't struggle, but if he does, we're here to help him."

Lee Russell, from LandFlight Travel Services, said on-site shuttle bus drivers were having to adapt their shifts

Lee Russell, who runs LandFlight Travel Services, which provides on-site transport for JLR in Solihull, said the shutdown meant drivers were having to start shifts later and finish earlier.

"We would like to think that we can support JLR the best that we can, but like anything we will have to adapt our shifts," he said.

He added businesses in the town "aren't as busy as they normally are" and local people were worried.

'Work with government'

MPs and the union Unite have called on the government to provide emergency support for supply chain workers.

Des Quinn, from Unite, told BBC CWR agency workers who had lost jobs and supply chain staff on half-earnings or statutory lay-off pay were "the forgotten victims" of the hack.

"If we don't sort those, it doesn't matter when JLR are ready to start running again, we won't have a supply chain to support them," he said.

In a response on Monday, JLR's chief executive Adrian Mardell told Liam Byrne, Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill & North Solihull, he shared his concerns about the wider supply chain.

"We are working closely with our supplier partners to fully understand the impacts of the incident, and will of course, work with government to monitor and respond to challenges as the situation develops," Mr Mardell wrote.

'Effects are massive'

Industry minister Chris McDonald is due to visit JLR later, alongside Business Secretary Peter Kyle.

"If you're not raising invoices, effectively the money dries up really quite quickly," said Johnathan Dudley, the head of manufacturing for accounting and consulting firm Crowe UK who has been speaking to firms lower down the supply chain.

"The key message needs to be action early prevents this falling over," he said.

Prof Bailey described JLR as "strategically one of the most important companies in the UK.

"The effects of its spending and its employment here in the region really are massive," he added.