Over 1,000 Ford employees are on strike for 24 hours over a dispute about pay and contract changes. The Unite union has warned that further industrial action may follow.
Administrative workers from Dunton (Essex), Stratford (east London), Daventry, Northamptonshire and Halewood in Merseyside walked out of work for 24 hours because of a long-running dispute over pay and contract changes.
The car manufacturer offered to pay a lump sum for 2024 for many of its office staff, instead of giving them a permanent salary increase. Performance-based pay will be implemented for all employees from the next year. The company is also changing its sick leave policy.
Ford claims that its total offer of pay increases is “fair and equal”, but the Unite trade union has warned that there will be further strikes if this dispute isn’t resolved.
Sharon Graham, Unite’s General Secretary, stated that Ford’s offer was motivated by “corporate greed”.
She added, “The company’s appalling treatment towards our members simply has made them more determined in their fight to stop these cruel and unnecessary change and for a fairer pay rise.”
Since June, managers have been taking industrial action after their union claimed that they had only received a performance-related award. This was not guaranteed for all employees.
Ford “refuses to engage in goodwill” despite “sensible counter-proposals”. Unite has said that “sensible proposals” have been made to resolve the dispute.
Ford stated in a press release: “Considering our overall competitiveness with regards to the pay and benefits packages for general salary rolls, the final offer by the company of a total increase of 5% is fair and balance.
We will continue to work with Unite, our valued employees, and try to resolve this matter.
Volkswagen is preparing for mass layoffs and factory closures. All new vehicles sold in the EU, including those in the UK, will be required to emit zero emissions by 2035 (this provision will be reviewed in 2026).
According to the EU most European companies still lag behind in terms of electric vehicle innovation. A paper of the European Parliament , published in this year, stated that “European incumbents are struggling to produce profitable and affordable electric cars due to high battery costs.” One of the top 15 battery-electric vehicles in the world is manufactured in the EU.
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