Strike threat at Ford plant

Engineering workers at the main research centre of car giant Ford are threatening to strike next week in a dispute over the staffing of new engine testing machinery, it was announced yesterday.

Around 250 engineers at the centre in Dunton, near Basildon in Essex were ending their shift early yesterday, complaining that Ford was allowing salaried staff to operate the new machinery rather than hourly-paid skilled workers.

The action will be stepped up to a one-day strike next Wednesday unless there is an agreement, the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union warned.