Ford strike threat over moves to fund jobs cuts with pay cuts
5 February 2009
Moves by Ford to cut around 850 jobs across its UK plants, and
freeze a negotiated pay deal, have today (Thursday) been denounced
as a 'betrayal' of a loyal workforce by the workers' union Unite,
which is warning the car giant that cutting workers' pay to meet
redundancy payments could lead to industrial action.
According to Tony Woodley, Unite joint general secretary: "These
proposals are completely unacceptable and a betrayal of Ford's
loyal UK workforce. Ford are asking the workers to take a cut
in pay to preserve jobs, but workers are asking themselves if their
pay is being cut to pay for friends and colleagues to be thrown
onto the dole."
The union is warning that unless Ford thinks again on this
strategy it will have no option but to ballot members on industrial
action to protect jobs and pay.
Tony Woodley continued: "Ford has today reached a new low in
corporate integrity. While their executives pay themselves
handsomely and their European profits alone totalled $1.06 billion
in 2007/2008, they are using the challenging global circumstances
to cut the jobs and pay of the workers who helped make them these
massive profits.
"They must respect this pay deal. If they fail to do so,
then we will have no other choice but to consult our members on how
they wish to take to defend their jobs and pay."
Unite negotiated a three year pay deal from 2008 across Ford
UK. This was accepted overwhelmingly by the workforce, having
been proposed by the company in October as the credit crunch began
to squeeze the car sector.
Ford claims that the slump in demand is such that they need to
slash 850 UK jobs and freeze pay. But Unite is questioning why Ford
is on the one hand declining to apply for US Congress financial
assistance on the basis that it has the liquidity to ride out the
crisis, while on the other is seeking to cut jobs and pay in the
UK.
ENDS
For further information, contact Pauline Doyle on 07976 832
861
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