850 more jobs planned for Cowley car plant

By R. W. Shakespeare Northern Industrial Correspondent

Plans to raise the output of the Marina and Maxi range at the British Leyland Austin-Morris plant at Cowley, Oxford, will mean a further 850 jobs by the end of the year. Mr Frank Tilston. director and general manager of Cowley operations. said yesterday. He takes over as managing director of the body and assembly division of Austin-Morris at the end of this month.

At present the output of Marina range cars is running at 4,000 a week, and Maxis at 1,500. The recruitment will enable production to be stepped up to 7,000-cars a week. It will take the total labour force at Cowley to more than 17,850. British Leyland has recently lost a fortnight's car production at Cowley, worth about £10m, because of a dispute: over a new pay deal for 2,300 workers in the body plant. The men went back to work on Monday to enable fresh negotiations with the management to take place.

Triumph men stay out: Axle builders at British Leyland's Triumph plant in Coventry voted yesterday to continue their stoppage over a pay claim, which has already resulted in 7000 workers being laid off.