Pay row at Leyland Dar
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• Workers at the Leyland Daf van plant in Birmingham have rejected a 21,month pay offer by a two-to-one majority. Union officials are now considering a ballot for industrial action.
The two-age deal would have added 3.5% to wages from January to August, with a further 4.6% for thefollowing 12 months. As part of the deal the 1,200 hourly-paid employees at the plant, which produces the Leyland Daf 200 and 400 Series vans, were asked to accept a flexible "additional vacation days" scheme, working up to two hours unpaid overtime a week in return for paid time off in lieu. This system is already operating at the Leyland truck plant.
"This flexible scheme would allow the company to meet demand when we have a big order," says the company. "At other times of the year, when things are slack, there would be paid time off. We are trying to give employees the security of 37 hours pay a week throughout the year."
The company is "very disappointed" with the ballot result: "We believe the deal was good for the company and the employees, given the industry is in a very serious recession."
Last year the company claimed a record 15.6% of the UK panel van market.
• Union claims that Ford is preparing to cut up to 500 of the 2,500 jobs at its Southampton Transit van plant are being dismissed by the company.
"There will be further job losses at the factory this year in a move to make the place more efficient, but it is too early to give figures," it says.
Ford announced job losses last autumn and wants up to 80 more voluntary redundancies before the end of March.