Archive : 10,000 laid-off after car plant strike

THE GUARDIAN

Estimates last night put the total number of men laid off in the motor industry as a result of the strike at Pressed Steel Fisher’s car-body plant at well over 10,000. This included 5,500 at the plant itself, at Cowley, Oxford. Pressed Steel Fisher announced that a further 1,500 men would be sent home today, and the plant would be virtually closed.

Last night the Department of Employment and Productivity invited all the parties to a meeting this morning. Some 200 electricians and patternmakers stopped work on Monday in protest at a proposed new wage structure, which has been rejected by their unions.

Production of car bodies for British Leyland Motors, Rootes, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce has been at a halt since then.

Rovers halted
Production was at a standstill yesterday at the Rover factory at Solihull , and by mid-afternoon the number of workers idle there had increased from 1,200 to 1,750.

Jaguar’s at Coventry, who who on Tuesday night laid off 1,000 men, sent home a further 500 yesterday, and saloon car production was at a standstill. But a spokesman for BMC said that there were no effects yesterday at either the Austin plant in Birmingham or the Morris factory at Oxford.

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Keith Adams

Editor and creator AROnline at AROnline

Created www.austin-rover.co.uk in 2001 and built it up to become the world's foremost reference source for all things BMC, Leyland and Rover Group, before renaming it AROnline in 2007.

Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...

Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.

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