Dustbin strike threat to thousands of car workers
13 May 1969
DAILY MIRROR
By PAUL CONNEW
A wildcat strike by by ten men in a row over who empties dustbins was threatening the jobs of thousands of car production workers last night. The ten strikers—internal transport drivers at the Pressed Steel Fisher plant in Coventry—yesterday defied their unions advice to return to work .
The men decided to stay out—and they are not due to meet again until Thursday. The dispute now seems certain to cause the laying off of thousands of car workers in the British Leyland group—and seriously hit their export drive.
It has already crippled the Pressed Steel Fisher factory which is a key supplier of car components for British Leyland. The row flared last week when the drivers refused to empty bins loaded with industrial waste. They are demanding better overtime bonus for doing the job.
The management called in a firm of outside contractors to empty the bins. The drivers walked out. The entire labour force of 1,000 was laid off and the factory was closed indefinitely .
The Morris plant at Cowley , Oxford , which relies upon Pressed Steel Fisher for car bodies, is expected to start laying off workers today.
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