Holden veteran glad to survive first round

After 18 years with the company, Holden electrician Lebby Panayiotou is one of the lucky ones - he still has his job.

Some of his colleagues were not so fortunate on Thursday, being told they were no longer needed as the car maker moves to cut production.

It was an early sign of things to come. Holden will close its manufacturing operations in Australia by the end of 2017.

Mr Panayiotou said the company seemed to handle the process well, talking to workers individually.

"There's no easy way to tell people," he said. "Some of these people have had more than 20 years' service.

"But what can you do, life goes on."

He said it was tough to see some of his friends leave.

"I saw them in the morning and they're not here now."

As a skilled worker, Panayiotou believes he will find another job when his turn comes, but he is keen to stay for as long as possible.

"I'm back on Monday, I'm pretty happy about that," he said.