Holden VEII jobs

The Adelaide-based manufacturer will return its 2300-strong workforce to full-time status and has opened its doors to recruit the new staff, but former employees who took hardship packages are ineligible for re-employment.

Estimates earlier this year had suggested 30 new staff would be required at the Elizabeth vehicle manufacturing plant by Holden as production of VE Series II gets underway and preparations for local production of the Cruze sedan and hatchback production continue ahead of a start in February next year.

Holden's executive director of manufacturing operations Martyn Cray said the company would return its existing workforce to full-time and hire workers on contract as a cautious approach.

"We have to start slowly but we are on the way back, we have to take small steps - it's important that we initially hire people on contract and when there's more confidence then we'll look for more permanent solutions.

"With regard to US police orders, that starts in October - we'll just have to see what the tenders give us, when we have some idea then we could be standing here again," Mr Cray said.

Mr Cray said the arrival of the VEII had boosted morale within the plant.  "There's a real sense of excitement at Elizabeth - we started building Series II Commodore this week and we're very happy with all the work being done to introduce Holden Cruze to the production line early next year,'' he said.

Suggestions local components suppliers had been locked out of tendering for Cruze contracts was flatly rejected by Mr Cray."ZF are doing Commodore suspension and will be supplying for Cruze as well, Futuris will be doing seats - we have had an open-book application process when it comes to tendering and it comes down to the business case, there has not been any lockout," he said.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union SA state secretary John Camillo paid tribute to the company and the workers.  "We had members suffering through all sorts of emotional and financial difficulties, they were up to the challenge to see a positive announcement being made by Holden today," he said.

Mr Camillo said the decision - as well as local Cruze production and the potential for more sales from US Police Car orders - would have a flow-on effect.  "It's in the right direction but we're not out of the woods yet."

State industry and trade minister Tom Koutsantonis said the announcement showed Holden was back on track.  "This is another shot in the arm for the SA's car industry, which hit a bumpy road during tough global economic times," he said.

The likely return of the second shift at the Elizabeth manufacturing plant was first reported in The Advertiser in March and officially announced by Holden in late June.

The company was then estimating the plant's 2300 workers would return to full-time status and an extra 30 jobs would be offered as the plant set up to build the Series II VE Commodore and the Cruze on the same production line.