Drivers at Rover engine plant return to work

By R. W. Shakespeare

Internal truck drivers at British Leyland's Rover engines plant, at Acocks Green, Birmingham. have decided to call off their second unofficial strike in eight days and return to work this morning. It is. however, unlikely that production of the company's two top selling cars, the Rover 2000 and 3500. at the nearby Solihull plant can be resumed before the weekend.

Only 11 men, who drive fork lift trucks, are directly involved in the dispute over a new pay claim. But their walkout stopped the engines plant and led to a shut down of the car assembly lines. making nearly 2,000 other workers idle and costing more than £1m. in lost output. The drivers went back to work on Monday, after a week long stoppage, but after working for only two hours and meeting management representatives about their pay claim, they walked out again.