The Mini factory in Oxford is cutting production down from seven to five days a week.

Eight hundred and fifty agency workers at one of Mini’s plants in the UK have been let go, as German carmaker BMW confirmed it has scrapped weekend shifts there.

The job losses are based at BMW’s Cowley plant in Oxford, the home of UK Mini manufacturing with 4,500 employees.

The site is also closing for a week, after a fall in sales as a result of the economic downturn – affecting many car manufacturers across the world.

The changing shift patterns, and the resulting job losses, will subsequently come into force on 2 March.

In a statement, BMW said: “While Mini has been weathering the economic downturn, it is not immune from the challenges of the current situation.

“Mini plant Oxford will be bringing in a new shift pattern in response to continuing volatile market conditions. As of Monday 2 March, the plant will go from a three-shift to a two-shift pattern, operating five days per week instead of the current seven.”

BMW had said that all staff at the factory, including remaining agency workers, would be paid their basic wages during the closure.
Sales of the iconic Mini, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in August, were down by 35% in January.

BMW is certainly not alone in its dilemma  – many carmakers have been forced to take action –  Honda has closed its plant in Swindon for four months, Ford cut 850 jobs earlier this month, and workers at Vauxhall have accepted a cut in hours and wages. Jaguar Land Rover, Toyota, Nissan and Bentley have all been forced to cut production or jobs since the start of the recession.