MG winds down to closure in October
4 August 1980
Workers at the MG factory at Abingdon return from their summer holidays today' to a two-day week and the prospect of unemployment in three months time. Thousands of the sports cars are unsold and production is being slashed in the run-up to the closure of the Oxfordshire factory on October 24.
The decision to close the Abingdon factory was taken when a consortium led by Aston Martin failed to raise the £30m needed to take over the company. An attempt is being made to find alternative jobs for the workforce by selling the factory in units in the hope that small businesses will be attracted to the area. A BL spokesman said the move was being made out of loyalty for the Abingdon workforce.
"We have said we will do this because they have provided such a superb work record for us over the years."
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