Firms throw weight behind Govt in bid tc cut out Jap lorries
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A GOVERNMENT minister accused British lorry manufacturers of under. investment last week as two UK companies added their weight to calls for action against plans for imports of Japanese lorries to this country.
Under Secretary for Trade Michael Meacher said that reason for "relatively poor performance" of British companies were a combination of under-investment in the past, inadequate production control, and generally lower productivity than our main overseas competitors.
In answer to Crewe Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody who started a debate on Japanese lorries, he said that the Government would press the European Commission "extremely hard" to take action, but said that the ease with which Flinn lorries — built by J. Harris (Assemblers) Ltd in Dublin — could be sold in the United Kingdom should not be exaggerated.
At the same time, Seddon Atkinson has issued a newsletter to its employees calling upon their support for a lobby of MPs against Harris's plans for an assembly plant in the Merseyside area.
Seddon Atkinson says it cannot force the Government to say that it does not want competition from Japan, but there is no Common Market regulation which prevents employees from petitioning MPs to express their fears for their employment prospects.
Calling upon its staff to follow the initiative of French farmers and Britain's inshore fishermen, it suggests that employees write to their MPs saying: "Having seen the effects on other industries of Japanese competition, I would like your assurance that my livelihood will not he put at risk by dumping, unfair price cutting or the creation of job opportunities in development grant areas at my expense."
Fodens, which has campaigned for some time against Harris's plans, has said: "Any action designed to canvass opposition or to publicise the likely consequences of arrival of Japanese vehicle assemblers on Merseyside, is to be welcomed."
The Irish company's plans to spend E15m on an attempt to sell 6,000 lorries a year on the British market have prompted Fodens to warn about the consequences British buyers.
It has said: "The paten purchaser of a Japan' imported lorry could well himself a favour before buy by taking a long-term viva the commercial consequen to his own business of what is buying."
Company chairman Le Tolley added later: "Then no likelihood of a Japan. lorry distributor ever be willing to handle a Brit lorry. Why should a Brit distributor be willing to 11 the Japanese?"
Meanwhile, Mrs Dunwo( has said that engineers in constituency would f forced to take their own act if the processes of Gove ment did not stop the "unl competition" threatened the plans for Hino vehicles.