Wage offer likely to avert Jaguar closure

By Clifford Webb Midland Industrial Correspondent

Eleventh hour talks seemed last night to have averted a threatened shutdown of Jaguar's Coventry plants which was due to begin today. A company spokesman said last night: "After today's meeting senior shop stewards agreed to recommend acceptance of the company's pay offer. Further meetings have still to take place between the shop stewards and the men but we understand that Radford will work tomorrow. Until the matter is finally resolved we are not in a position to say what the offer is".

A fortnight ago 2,000 men at the Radford component works gave notice of their intent to strike in support of the engineers' national claim for a £6 a week increase. Last week the Radford men's action was supported by 3,000 workers at the Browns Lane car assembly plant.

Production at two Triumph car plants in Liverpool was disrupted yesterday by an unofficial strike by 230 office workers. They walked out against the advice of their union, the Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical & Computer Staffs. They are demanding a £7 a week rise to bring their wages up to those of women shopfloor workers. They have rejected an offer of around £4 a week.