Ford not
Nazis THE HISTORY of Ford is that of one of the world's masi rathless and bloody. private employers - even by capitalisi standarus.
The company's founder, Henry Ford, was violently The leader of the American Nazis, Frice Kate, was on the As late an 1938 Ford accepted the Nazi German Ford bad set up a special plant in Germany to manulacture trucks for the Nazi armies.
Safety last
AT THE HEART of Ford's profits lie continual speed-up and cuts in staffing leveh.
The casualty, of course, has been health and safety. In 1975 Ford had a mere six medical staff and nypienist and assistant for a fotal of 60,000 workers.
Cancer caused by oil on the skin. swart limbs JUST accidents, deafening through noise, lungs danaged by tar fumes coke — these are all everyday hazards in the different sections of Ford's.
At the Dagenhum body plant alone there are Ho-140 eye injuries reported every month.
FORDS DISCIPLNAE FORD fought bitterly against union organising in the 1930%, using a 3.500-strong private urmed force and an army of spies in the workforce, It would willingly return to such melhods of open violence if it got the chance.
And it's not just Ford workers who suffer safety means less profits. Take the customers who bought the Pinto model.
Even before its release on the market, tests showed that the petroi tank burst in any crash at over 30mph, meaning that the cur was bkely to burst into By 1977 over 500 people had burned to death in crashes. Tet for right Ford Fought off against fire harards in the car.
In this time it sold two million Pintos.
Anvund 70 people a year for continue to burn to death as a result of this policy. Because dead people help lo keep Ford's bank bulance high. cuts, STA because Fighting for control THIS continual drive for profit means that Ford are engaged in trade union and especially shopfloor power and control.
Pinto During The Ford Joint Shop any call to Committee at Dagenham buile TOCCAMIST up tremendous strength.
Union control on the job was didn's have to make appointwill it was the other way round. The stewards demanded the handing over of the work schedules and altered them.
Such shopfloor power meant conditions for workers. But it Lower profits for the company, and so was unacceptable to TENNES In autumn 1962 the deputy convenor plant, Bill victimised. Less workers out of 5,000 apposed a it was called off after pronises General that the reinstate him.
smash organisation decisions.
lare 1950s the Stewards and sacked.
wonderul sewards stalling collapsed Ford workers paid, largely rebuil again In Tasted for nine meeting Icaders Jack Scanlon.
of the stewards.
organisation.
the was launched also meant ship connivance.
Fi company deal.
Francis, was to be a steward. than His section parts of the factory The end result workers was clear.
For the company, Britain ind Tertles companies worla, challenge which from leaders of the Transport & Workers Union and the Blastfurnacemen's Union company would Ford refused to allow the workers mack, nowever, wam position to they had individually signed an agreement lo accept company Militant organisa tion was then broken up by the reallocation of hundreds of workers to new jobs. Seventeen key millants were wooded out The results for Ford were and redactions Days lost in strikes fell from 184,000 in 1961 and 415,000 in 1962 to a mere 3,400 in 1963.
became the with the worst conditions. in the British motor In 1969 the organisation so badly damaged in 1962 was after successful strike led by the shop stewards. This was the signal for Ford to go on the offensive the 1971 strike, which weeks, Ford agreed a 'no strike deal at a union Jones and Hugh This was then rasened through over the heads The congany then set to work to bicak up shopfloor Al Halewood a total assault on shop steward organisation when the company, with union leader.
moved shop steward John Dillon from his section because it had opposed Divide and Rule FORD uses its multinational full advantage aguinst workers who, at best, are only orgenised nationally workers are told through Ford plant abysmally unproductive in GETIME while workers Germany are told that the high value of the German mark makes them less competitive than the British factories.
Ford plants are carefully sited —on the basis that there's nothing like a dose of mass unemployment to keep workers in line und the profits rolling in.
DEARE Liverpoel wai opened in 1963 unemplesment in the North- for lisell.
West world mean a tame workforce - though on this occasion they got it wrong Toduy a new plant is heins built at Bridgend in South Wales. Recent steel closure Just happen to have sent local unemployment rocketing. The cowed workforce lies behind the company's widespread ase of "contract immigrant labour in continental Europe. These workers only come for a limited stay, have few or no trade union or political rights, and can be instantly sacked and deported if they step out of line Racism is also a notorious weapon of Ford management in Aritaio. Incitement by white Foremen against West Bachan and Asian workers is common, and hus led important struggles in Dagenham.
By this disiding its workers. Ford keeps up the rate of profit