6:31pm Friday 24th October 2008
By Simon Carr
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."
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