Vauxhall offers staff a paid sabbatical

• Cash-strapped car maker's offer
• Takers would get 30% of salary
• Return to work to coincide with new Astra

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Vauxhall is offering workers an eight-month career break in a bid to save money.

Under the proposed scheme, workers at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant can opt for the sabbatical and receive 30% of their salary.

The sabbatical would run from January 1 to September 1, when a new three-shift working system will be introduced in time for production of the new Astra.

The offer is part of a wider move instigated by Vauxhall's cash-strapped parent company, General Motors.

Earlier this week, Vauxhall revealed that its Christmas break, which starts today, has been extended to a month due to falling orders.