Police Struggle With Car Workers

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31195, 20 October 1966, Page 17

Police Struggle With Car Workers

(N.Z.PA. Reuter—Copyright) LUTON, October 19. Police struggled with 2000 shouting car workers at the giant Vauxhall motor plant in Luton yesterday after work had come to a standstill over a wages dispute.

The stoppage was after payment demands from men who were sent home from work yesterday. As scores of policemen tried to disperse the angry crowd there were shouts of “bloody Americans" and calls for the factory to be nationalised.

At one stage a crowd of 1000 men tried to force their way into the main executive offices. About 500 men surged

around a lorry and refused to let it enter the factory. When police tried to move them on they threatened to let down the tyres. Union officials rushed to the scene and the men later passed a resolution agreeing to leave matters in the hands of officials. But they stipulated they would call for a strike throughout all Vauxhall factories if they gained no satisfaction. Vauxhall has a labour force of about 19,000 men. The firm on Monday sent home some 2000 idle workers when a stoppage by 10 irate painters interrupted production.

The strike came after a management decision to clean the paintshop every 14 days instead of every’ week. They came back on the job today after an overnight clean-up of the paintshop. The demonstrations yesterday were after a management decision against paying the 2000 men for time lost on Monday.