Workers in new walk out at Ford transit plant (From Daily Echo)
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Workers in new walk out at Ford transit plant
6:31pm Friday 24th October 2008 in
-
- By Simon Carr » Eastleigh Chief Reporter
ANGRY workers stormed out of Southampton's Ford plant tonight.
Around 40 walked out of the factory an hour before their shift was due to end marking the second walkout in one week.
The workers’ protests come after the motor giant announced plans to slash output from 75,000 vehicles to just 35,000 chassis cabs, cut jobs and export Transit production to Turkey.
Employees and unions claim if the plant is reduced to this level it will spell the beginning of the end for the factory.
One worker told the Daily Echo: “We have had a gut full. We are not being told anything and that is why we are doing this.”
This protest follows one at midday Monday in which more than a hundred workers downed tools and walked out.
Workers on the earlier shift also blamed Ford bosses for not giving them enough information about the future of the plant.
A Ford spokesman said: “I would reiterate that this is very disappointing and distracts from the real issue about the best way to make Southampton a profitable plant."
FOR MORE SEE TOMORROW'S DAILY ECHO
Comments(20)
Adrian Smith
says...
7:01pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Playing into the hands of management.
Will MP's really support employees there with this kind of action being taken?
Ford worker - for some there it's an oxymoron.
Militant Ford Worker
says...
7:31pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Mr Ford Spokesman, Southampton is a VERY profitable plant as well you know.
Why would you even consider running it til 2011 if it wasn't?
You mean "make Southampton as profitable as Turkey".
heres how:
Get a Wealthy Business partner to pay for the retooling of the plant.
Negoitiate tax concessions with the government.
Get cheap energy to power the plant from Iran.
Cut hourly pay to legal minimum wage.
Replace 37.5 hour working week with 45 hour rolling week.
Pay overtime at Flat rate.
Close pension scheme.
Scrap Sick pay.
Scrap Christmas and Easter Holidays.
Get the police to beat up Strikers.
There you go !
Just as profitable as Turkey now!
Easy!!
Mad Max
says...
7:32pm Fri 24 Oct 08
what complete idiots... I bet the Ford management team in USA are laughing and rubbing their hands together as the British worked puts another nail in British manufacturing jobs coffin
Mad Max
says...
7:33pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Bright Spark
says...
7:37pm Fri 24 Oct 08
sammy001
says...
7:43pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Militant Ford Worker
says...
8:01pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Mad Max wrote:I really don't think Ford's US mangement will too worried about what's
And with that, it's good night for the Ford factory in Southampton....
what complete idiots... I bet the Ford management team in USA are laughing and rubbing their hands together as the British worked puts another nail in British manufacturing jobs coffin
happening on Swaythling B shift at the moment.
Have you seen the price of ford stock lately?
Or their October sales figures?
Laughing is the last thing they will be doing.
They are too busy running round the boardroom flapping their arms and clucking!
Mad Max
says...
8:23pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Militant Ford Worker wrote:just another reason for them to speed the shutdown up...
Mad Max wrote: And with that, it's good night for the Ford factory in Southampton.... what complete idiots... I bet the Ford management team in USA are laughing and rubbing their hands together as the British worked puts another nail in British manufacturing jobs coffinI really don't think Ford's US mangement will too worried about what's happening on Swaythling B shift at the moment. Have you seen the price of ford stock lately? Or their October sales figures? Laughing is the last thing they will be doing. They are too busy running round the boardroom flapping their arms and clucking!
Antibacterial Face Wipe
says...
8:51pm Fri 24 Oct 08
ex so'ton
says...
9:16pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Finlay
says...
10:59pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Those with a light on in their loft will get as many paid hours as they can and step off the good ship Ford as it glugs beneath the sea and in to another job with a clean sheet and a good reference instead of "We apologise but we cannot furnish a reference for this candidate".
Is there anyone on Earth who cannot translate such a response to a reference request? Not a useful reference to have when 2M people are forecast to be unemployed by Christmas.
Just a quickie - The definition of recession is three consecutive quarters (3 month period) of zero or negative economic growth. You are officially in that right now.
So how many jobs will be available when 000's of former Ford employees come pouring out the gates at Swaythling?
Happy job hunting guys
PAUL Β
says...
11:26pm Fri 24 Oct 08
damien thorn
says...
11:36pm Fri 24 Oct 08
Finlay
says...
12:00am Sat 25 Oct 08
http://news.bbc.co.u
k/2/hi/business/7686
552.stm
Mervyn King is the chairman of the BoE and his number two said this in the article
"Deputy bank governor Charlie Bean ...."
You're saved! Mr Bean is steering the economy.
I'd just like to say that its not looking the best over there right now.
Edward Nygma
says...
7:59am Sat 25 Oct 08
This may in fact save the rest of the plant who although dont like the thought of chassis cab, accept that in the current economic climate "its best to have a job than none!"
alineworker
says...
8:13am Sat 25 Oct 08
PAUL Β
says...
8:35am Sat 25 Oct 08
alineworker wrote:oi maggot dick
i see all the numptys have stuck their noses in yet again,you lot know absoloutly nothing about what is going on there,we had not built anything since 4pm the lines had stopped so no production was lost we only want to know what is going on fords dont work weeks in advance they work years ahead so why wont they tell us? cue more dopey comments!
dont blame the posters on here, blame the echo
AndyAndrews
says...
8:52am Sat 25 Oct 08
Georgem
says...
1:07pm Sat 25 Oct 08
alineworker wrote:Perhaps you should put some effort into telling people what "the facts" are, then, rather than just indulging in mindless name-calling because you magically know more about what happens where you work than people who don't work there.
i see all the numptys have stuck their noses in yet again,you lot know absoloutly nothing about what is going on there,we had not built anything since 4pm the lines had stopped so no production was lost we only want to know what is going on fords dont work weeks in advance they work years ahead so why wont they tell us? cue more dopey comments!
whoamitosay
says...
3:56pm Sat 25 Oct 08
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Workers in new walk out at Ford transit plant
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