BMC Lay Off 3000 Men

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
BIRMINGHAM, FEB. 24

More than 3,000 men were laid off at British Motor Corporation factories today as production was affected by the strike of 2,000 workers at the Birmingham firm of Hardy Spicer Ltd., who supply 95 per cent. of the propeller shafts used in the British motor industry.

The first B.M.C. model to cease production was the Austin A55 Cambridge, which stopped at lunch time today. The day and night shift on A55 production at the Austin factory in Birmingham, totalling 2,200 men, were told not to report again until further notice. About 100 men on heavy commercial vehicle production were also laid off.

Another 900 men were made idle at the Morris factory at Cowley when production of four models ceased. At the Pressed Steel works 400 men making bodies for B.M.C. were laid off. A B.M.C. spokesman said that the production of most models at the Austin factory would have stopped by the end of the week.

At the corporation's body building plant of Fisher and Ludlow, Ltd., in Birmingham it was expected that about 2,500 to 3,000 workers would have to be laid off on Friday. There were no developments today in the strike position.

COVENTRY
Work was back to normal , at Jaguar Cars, where 500 men had to be sent home on Tuesday after five men walked out.