More than 1,000 workers employed by vehicle manufacturer Ford have begun strike action due to a long running dispute over pay and contract changes.
The employees, who are represented by trade union Unite, are administrative staff based in Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry and Halewood. They began industrial action short of a strike on 22 August and will walk out for 24 hours on 30 October. If the dispute is not resolved, they have stated that strikes will intensify.
Ford has proposed making a one-off payment to many office-based staff for 2024 and 100% performance-related pay for all staff from 2025, which have been rejected by employees. Instead, they are asking for a permanent pay increase.
Staff have also argued that they do not want to accept Ford’s proposed changes to its long-standing sick pay policy or to the union’s collective bargaining agreement.
In addition, Ford managers represented by Unite are also in a dispute over pay. They have been taking action short of a strike over an offer of a performance-related merit award, which is not guaranteed.
A Ford spokesperson said: “Considering the overall competitiveness of our general salary roll employee pay and benefits package, the organisation’s final offer of a 5% total pay increase for 2023/24 is fair and balanced. We will continue to engage with Unite and our valued employees and endeavour to resolve the matter.”
Alison Spencer-Scragg, national officer at Unite, added: “Strike action will cause significant disruption to Ford’s operations and will continue to escalate. The only way this dispute will end is when Ford puts forward offers that our members can accept.”
