Car workers redundant

CAR WORKERS REDUNDANT
Nearly 60 men employed at the Speke factory, Liverpool, of Standard-Triumph International have been declared redundant. It is hoped the men will be re-employed later.

8,000 Men Idle At B.M.C. Works
From Our Own Correspondent
BIRMINGHAM, Oct. 17

On the first day of the British Motor Corporation's official cuts in production, more than 8,000 employees are idle because of unofficial strikes in Midland factories.

Production of the Austin Seven at Longbridge and the Mini Minor at Oxford has ceased. The production of tractors and commercial vehicles has also stopped because of strikes.

The main event of the day was the strike of about 4,000 workers in the Fisher and Ludlow body-building plant at Erdington. The men were objecting to the effects of short-time working caused by the production cuts and by the strike of 136 inspectors at the Morris Commercial Cars factory at Adderley Park. When the general production cuts were announced last week, a B.M.C. official said that production of the Austin Seven and Mini Minor were in fact to be increased.

MAINTENANCE WORK
The semi-skilled workers at Fisher and Ludlow objected to a suggested four or four-and-a-half day week.

"The men held that they should reduce their earnings and spread out the work over five days ", said a B.M.C. Official.
"This would have meant totally uneconomic working with maintenance and training staffs having to be brought in out of working hours on overtime, instead of doing their maintenance work on the fifth day when the plant will be stopped. The Morris commercial cars strike has halted production of commercial vehicles for which there is still a great demand. The factory is one of the least affected by the introduction of short- time working."