1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182 
Unite warns Ford to keep its promise over outsourcing
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Super-union warns Ford not to go back on an undertaking to keep some of its car transportation business in house. Chris Tindall reports
THE T&G DIVISION of new super-union Unite has fired a shot across the bows of global motor giant Ford by warning it against reneging on an alleged promise not to outsource all of its car transportation work.
Ford currently has a number of contracts with companies including Autocar and Ansa Logistics to transport and deliver its vehicles in the UK. It also handles some of these deliveries in-house.
However, the motor manufacturer is under pressure to cut costs globally and the T&G fears this could lead it to outsource delivery contracts, or carry out 'market testing.threatening about 700 drivers' jobs. The union says it will not "allow the global giant to treat car delivery workers as pawns".
A T&G spokesman says: "We were hearing from shop stewards the concern that Ford had moved away from assurances of no market testing — which people believed it had — to a situation where there will be market testing.
"Market testing, outsourcing, call it what you will; in our experience it normally equates to worsening pay and conditions and job losses," he adds.
Ford will not say if its decision to open existing contracts to tender is contrary to previous assurances; instead a spokesman says: "Given the significant changes in recent years in the UK vehicle manufacturing and logistics industries, it is appropriate that Ford invites bids and ideas from the industry through a market test process. Opening existing contracts for tender in this way is not unusual practice."
However, T&G national secretary for transport Ron Webb warns: "Ford managers should know that we will robustly defend the interests of our members in any and all contractors affected."