Ford has faced several organized campaigns from its workforce this past year, most notably from the United Auto Workers, which secured a major contract last fall. Earlier this year, Ford Focus production stopped due to a supplier strike. Now, another union is gearing up for a potential showdown with the automaker, as Unite says it may strike across the United Kingdom if Ford cannot meet their demands.
Unite – Britain and Ireland’s largest union – says Ford has failed to meaningfully negotiate over pay. Members have rejected the company’s only offer, which consisted of a merit based performance award compensation scheme that was not a guarantee. As a result, Ford workers will initiate a working to rule plan, a process by which they operate strictly to their contracts and nothing more, and will stop working overtime starting June 14th if no progress has been made on an agreeable settlement. Additionally, the union stated it may initiate a strike down the road if things continue to deteriorate. These actions would impact essentially all of Ford’s UK facilities in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry, and Halewood.
“Not content with making billions in profits, Ford has decided to try and attack our members’ pay out of sheer corporate greed. “Performance related payments give no guarantee of an actual pay rise and leave these workers in danger of facing cuts to their wages. They are absolutely right to take industrial action and they have the full support of Unite in doing so,” said Unite general secretary Sharon Graham.
Ford workers at UK sites indicated in February that a strike may be possible, as the overall negotiations have been ongoing for over four months now. The UK remains an important region for the automaker, which features a number of key research and development centers for powertrain development. The Dunton campus recently received a number of upgrades designed to facilitate hybrid and electric vehicle motor testing.
We’ll have more on the negotiations soon, so subscribe to Ford Authority for continuous Ford news updates.
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