Business as usual at Vauxhall this morning.
Apart from a few photographers being turned away there was little activity at the manufacturer’s Ellesmere Port base.
PSA Group has announced it will buy General Motors’ European arm for £1.9bn.
Citroen and Peugeot’s owners have given assurances about the Cheshire plant until 2021, but the long-term future of 2,000 workers is uncertain.
A huge employment hub for the town, the Ellesmere Port site first opened in the 1960s.
It was the Vauxhall Viva which first rolled off the production line in 1966.
Production switched to the Astra early in the 1980s and the huge ‘Home of the Astra’ sign is hard to miss when driving past on the M53.
The model has racked up a string of awards in recent years including the European Car of the Year Award for 2016 which is testament to their hard work.
Each year they make more than 120,000 cars - almost 700 a day.
Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said thousands of Vauxhall workers had endured a ‘nerve-wracking’ few weeks which sadly look set to continue.
PSA Group chairman Carlos Tavares said: “We respect all that Opel/Vauxhall’s talented people have achieved as well as the company’s fine brands and strong heritage.
“We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support, while respecting the commitments made by GM to the Opel/Vauxhall employees.”
GM chairman and chief executive Mary T Barra said she believed the deal would put Opel and Vauxhall “in an even stronger position for the long term”.
Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders claimed PSA has made assurances over jobs until ‘around 2021’.
He said: “Now the new owners are in place, clearly work must begin in earnest to put UK production in the best possible position.
“There have been significant challenges faced in the past but thanks to great work between the union and management at Ellesmere Port those threats have been overcome so we must draw strength from previous success.”
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