MORE than 7,000 JCB employees are to receive a £1,000 Christmas bonus this year following an “exceptional” year for the business.
The manufacturer revealed it is the largest festive bonus since 2007 and comes in a year when JCB machine production reached a 73-year high.
Chairman Lord Bamford said, “JCB has had a very successful year and I am delighted that we are able to award a substantial Christmas bonus to thank our employees for their contribution. There are many parallels between JCB and the British economy at the moment: both are doing very well indeed and both have record levels of employment. What’s more, the signs remain extremely encouraging for 2019, with many reasons to remain positive for the future, both for our business, and the UK, which, after all, is the world’s fifth largest economy.”
JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald added, “JCB has had an exceptional year and we are gearing up for another strong 2019. The whole JCB team has every reason to be proud of what has been achieved and we are looking forward to building on our success next year.”
JCB recruited an additional 1,500 people during the course of the year, including the awarding of permanent contracts to around 550 agency employees. The firm also launched its new range of X-Series excavators and started work on a new £50 million factory in Staffordshire to build cabs for its machines. JCB also unveiled its first ever electric excavator – a 1.8 tonne mini-digger.
