By Danny Thompson
Copyright birminghammail
A motoring specialist has declared the government must take greater action to support thousands of supply chain firms and their employees left in ruins by the continuing Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack . Trade union leaders report the government is telling workers who have been made redundant to seek Universal Credit . However, additional measures are required, according to Dr Charles Tennant – a regional automotive expert. The cyber assault has delivered a devastating blow to JLR’s production activities since occurring three weeks ago. READ MORE: Birmingham nightclub shooting live as four injured and man fights for life Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join The strike has shut down the Coventry firm’s plants across the globe, which consequently has brought supply chain companies supporting JLR to their knees. Whilst larger corporations possess the financial strength to withstand the consequences of this continuing crisis, smaller enterprises do not. With JLR acknowledging it could require weeks to restore systems to full operation, there is enormous anxiety about the lasting effects this will create. Dr Tennant informed CoventryLive : “While it is clear that many JLR suppliers – particularly the smaller ones at Tier 2 and 3 level – are now seriously struggling with cash flow and are laying off workers, there does not seem to be any appetite from the government to provide any significant financial support other than Universal Credit, which supplier employees are being told to apply for, whereas JLR staff are still being paid.”. “The unions are calling for much more than that through a Covid style furlough scheme, and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Automotive Components Section has been convened to allow suppliers to make their views directly to Government, which JLR welcomes. “I’m sure the Government will argue that Covid was a national crisis affecting everyone, whilst the JLR cyber incident is a private company matter, but let us see. Clearly the best thing that can happen now is for the JLR factories to get up and running so that things can return to normal. “But as we know that is taking more time than many thought as it has to be done in a controlled and safe manner, and the complexities involved are enormous.” A JLR spokesperson recently said: “We welcome SMMT’s convening of its Automotive Components Section to allow suppliers to convey their views directly to Government. This is an important move to further identify the challenges businesses are facing following the recent cyber incident at JLR. “This action complements JLR’s wider response, including our focus on our global supply chain, our retail partners, our clients and our people as we continue to work around the clock to restart our global applications in a controlled and safe manner.”