Short Time For BMC Men

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
BIRMINGHAM, Nov. 10

Further drastic cuts in the working hours of British Motor Corporation production workers were announced by the corporation in Birmingham tonight.

From next Monday about two-thirds of the corporation's 61,500 workers will be on short time, most of them on three days. Since October 17 23,500 B.M.C. employees have been on either four or three-day working and the company stated tonight that about 60 per cent of them were now to lose a further day. About half of the 38,000 who have been able to continue on a full five-day week will go on to four days.

The reduced production does not affect the corporation's successful Austin Seven, its van and estate car versions, and the Mini-Minor commercial vehicles. An official referred to "the tremendous demands for the commercial vehicle versions of the small cars ".

The situation will vary from factory to factory. At the Austin works, of 17,000 production workers one-third will stay on a five-day week, one-third will go on to a four-day week, and the remainder will be on three days. Workers at the Morris Motors cars branch, Cowley, Oxfordshire, and the ,M.G. factory at Abingdon, Berkshire, are going on to a three-day week. Midland Conservative M.P.s with motor interests in their constituencies have asked Mr Maudling, President of the Board of Trade, to meet them as soon as possible to discuss difficulties in the industry.