Former Holden workers share victories and struggles a year later

published

October 20, 2018 08:07:26

It has been a year since the last vehicle left the production line at the Holden plant in Elizabeth.

The closure left 950 people unemployed after the parent company, General Motors, decided it was no longer logical to pursue it, which took nearly 70 years of local production.

Hundreds of others had left before that.

According to figures from the Center for Economic Studies of the University of Adelaide, more than 80% of Holden workers have found another job.

Among them, Jason Couzner, a resident of Greenwith, 43, has spent 15 years with the company.

"I loved working at Holden, it was an important part of my life," said Mr. Couzner.

"We had excellent friendships … I liked everything."

Most of his work with the company took place in production.

He said with two children and his wife working part-time, the prospect of finding another job was discouraging.

"I think it's natural to feel a little worried and to have a self-doubt when there is something new on the horizon, "said Mr. Couzner.

"Once I pulled my head under the covers and realized that I had to do something to find a job, the process probably took about six months."

Mr. Couzner now works full time at Bunnings.

He said he was part of a small group of former Holden workers who were arrested by the hardware store giant.

"I like what I do now, I really enjoy customer service," he said.

"The salary is not the same, but we made some adjustments, so it's good."

Its story was not the one announced last year, with many saying the unemployment rate would be double digits in North Adelaide.

Michael O'Neill, economist at the University of Adelaide, said that several factors had prevented the achievement of this goal.

"About two-thirds among the people who lost their jobs were living in the vicinity of the Elizabeth – Salisbury Plant, Tea Tree Gully and Playford, "said O. Neil.

"Fortunately, some major projects in the CDBs of Playford and Salisbury, the North Connector and [Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme]these large projects have absorbed a lot of people, and even the deployment of the National Disability Insurance Plan has hired staff. "

Mr. O Neil added that another factor was the relatively young age of Holden's workforce.

"You have to ask yourself who these Holden workers were – their average age is 42 … 44," he said.

"They have 21, 22 years of experience on average, these people were so ready for the job.

"On 100%, I think, 82%, 83% of those who were looking for a job found a job."

The employment figures released this week revealed that South Australia 's unemployment rate had dropped from 5.7% last month to 5.5% in September, seasonally adjusted data. .

In the city of Playford – where Holden was – more than 13% of people were unemployed in June, according to the Labor Force Survey of the Bureau of Statistics, which is slightly lower than in the previous year.

The rate in the nearby town of Salisbury was 7.8%.

The closure was difficult for some

Jason Couzner said that he thought the full picture for some of the older workers had not been revealed.

"Most people I know have joined the world of work, but I'm still a little worried about the fact that people who have received severance pay do not yet appear in unemployment figures … or those who their retirement, "said Mr. Couzner.

For Pete Hepburn, a 60-year-old Smithfield resident, it was difficult to find a job.

Holden was his first and only job in Australia since his arrival from Scotland 30 years ago.

"Two weeks after my arrival here, I started at Holden," Mr. Hepburn said.

"It's a fantastic population, I do not have a word to say about it."

Mr. Hepburn stated that he had published his resume, but so far without success.

"Financially, it's okay, we're not on the back," he said.

"We knew it was going to happen so we got ready, and I have a pension so … we are getting there. "

However, Mr. Hepburn pointed out that, even though the extra money was still worthwhile, the value of real work was important.

"The main thing about not having a job is that it's boring," he said.

"I would like to work just to continue [my] body and mind together.

"I volunteer at Museum of Edinburgh [National Military Vehicle Museum]… But full time, part time … the filling of shelves, no matter what, I would take it. "

Holden company down

A year after the closure of the local manufacturing industry, statistics from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries show that Holden's sales have been swept aside.

Holden Commodore still ranks first in the big-car category under $ 70,000. However, monthly sales data for the Holden house in Australia in August 2018 declined by almost 38%.

Mike Sinclair – editor of Carsales.com.au – said that he was expecting Holden to find the life of a car importer difficult for a while.

"Holden has been in a world of pain in many ways," Sinclair said.

"Not only in terms of the number of cars sold, but also in their dealings with the market, in their relations with their fans, and with … their employees and their dealers."

When a new car generates pbadion, it is not necessarily positive, as the former worker of Holden, Cara Bertoli discovered.

However, while Jason Couzner acknowledged that he was not a fan of the new Commodore, he wished good luck to his former employer.

"I did not expect to be so happy a year," said Mr. Couzner.

"It was really a process of mourning. I still miss Holden, and at the beginning, during the first few months at Bunnings, I talked about Bunnings.

"I did not call it a job, a home, or a new family, but that's what it is now … so life is beautiful."

Topics:

human interest,

community and society,

unemployment,

motorized sports,

adelaide-5000,

her

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