Threat To 20,000 Vehicle Jobs

Threat To 20,000 Vehicle Jobs
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
COVENTRY, Oct. 5

With the news today that 20,000 car workers may lose their jobs if the strike of 300 Coventry car delivery drivers continues, it was also announced that a dispute which had involved 6,000 workers at Jaguar Cars Ltd. was ended.

Jaguar is one of the three firms threatened by the drivers' strike. The others are the Rootes group and Standard Triumph. The dispute at Jaguars was settled after 22 hours of discussion and the reinstatement of a workman. The 6,000 men had stopped work for two days earlier this week after an incident between the workman and a foreman. The workman was dismissed. The men returned to work on Tuesday to allow the discussions to begin.

2,000 Car Men Sent Home
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
OXFORD, Oct. 5

The Pressed Steel Company which makes car bodies, sent home about 2,000 workers from its Cowley factory today.

The company attributed this in part to the seasonal lull before the Motor Show and partly to the effect of disputes elsewhere in the industry. A company official said:  "In effect, we have worked a four-day week, spread over. Indications are that the numbers on short-time may increase next week at Cowley."

Mr. Clifford Crawley, Oxford district organizer of the Transport and General Workers' Union, said the lay-offs were seasonal.

"The factory told us in advance this would be happening. Thev can go on making bodies only so long as the orders are there and this happens where there is a reduction in orders. There is nothing else they could have done in the circumstances", he said