Top-tier luxury marques were once thought of as recession proof, but the prolonged global economic downturn is quickly proving that adage wrong. Aston Martin revealed a plan to cut its work force by as much as one third last year and now the British automaker has announced that some of its remaining staff will be moving to a three-day work week.
According to Aston Martin, about 600 of its workers will be moving to a three-day work week, running Monday to Wednesday. Although the shortened work week is intended to be a temporary move, it could last for several weeks or even months if auto sales do not improve.
Aston Martin employed 1,850 workers at the end of 2008, but is trying to get that figure down to 1,250 in a bid to curtail fixed costs.
The news of Aston Martin’s shortened work week comes closely on the heels of a recently announce British auto aid package. Under the taxpayer-funded plan, the British auto industry is slated to receive 2.3 billion pounds in low-interest loans.
