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Just two weeks ago, a Land Rover convoy pbaded through Solihull to mark the 70th anniversary of the first model released from the production line at the Lode Lane factory.
The 9,000 workers at the factory woke up on Thursday. News that their boss has warned jobs could be at risk unless Theresa May signs a Brexit deal to "back up" her supply chain and vast customer base in the EU.
"It's only a matter of time before something happens, is not it? We can not continue to have as much luck," said one worker while he was heading to his West Midlands factory.
Julie, 54, who worked in the large canteen of the site, said it would be devastating for Solihull if part of the Jaguar Land Rover plant was destroyed. "It's not just the people working here that it would affect, it's the drivers, the city's suppliers who depend on the factory."
Others have avoided Ralf Speth's concerns , German general manager of JLR. "Look at that," said an exhaust installer pointing to a huge site that has a four-mile perimeter, a lake, a crib, two badembly lines and is by far the biggest employer in the area. "They have poured billions of dollars into this budget and we hear all the time that they are planning future investments on this site."
In a few hours of viewing the site, 150 trucks enter and leave the two large entrances. Components of 10m are brought every day.
There are extensive car parks filled with finished cars waiting to be shipped for export or for testing or washing. Joe, 52, who works on the site, did not vote in the European referendum. "But if I had done it, I would have said leave." Even if it would have put your work in danger? "Yes, because it is not a question of jobs, it is about immigration."
On the road, at the bus stop, hordes of men were waiting for the return of their buses. "There are more rumors here than stories in Coronation Street, you hear one thing one week and another another, you do not know what to believe, I come here, I do my job and I get paid" , adds Joe.
After crises and near-closures during the darkest decades of British industrial history, Solihull is today the largest automobile factory in the country, producing 300,000 cars each year and indirectly and indirectly tens of thousands of jobs.
"This is a mbadive employer. This gives us our big house – much bigger than the one I was in before – and the luxury of life. Brexit is worrisome, "said Colin Smethurst, 31, while heading for work.
Many of those who spoke at the Guardian were men in their twenties, who had been working at the factory for four or five years. "The Brexit does not filter us back on track," said one of them referring to the production line. Another added: " Brexit? We talk about it, but it's out of our hands. It's the politicians who make the decision. "
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