Ford managers to take industrial action over pay dispute

Workers at Ford sites across the UK, including Dunton, Stratford, Dagenham, Daventry, and Halewood, will begin industrial action later this month due to a dispute over pay, Unite, the UK’s leading union, announced today.

The employees have overwhelmingly rejected Ford’s pay offer, which includes only a performance-related merit award that they are not guaranteed to receive. The dispute has been exacerbated by Ford’s refusal to enter into meaningful negotiations, including with the independent conciliation service Acas, despite the workers achieving union recognition in 2023.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Not content with making billions in profits, Ford has decided to try and attack our members’ pay out of sheer corporate greed. Performance-related payments give no guarantee of an actual pay rise and leave these workers in danger of facing cuts to their wages. They are absolutely right to take industrial action and they have the full support of Unite in doing so.”

Ford reported a full year net income of $4.3 billion on revenues of $176 billion for 2023, an increase of 11.4 per cent. The adjusted EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) for 2023 was $10.4 billion, with a projected EBIT of $10 billion to $12 billion for 2024.

The affected workers will begin working to rule and an overtime ban on 14 June, which will severely impact all of Ford’s UK operations. Strike action may follow if the dispute is not resolved.

Unite national officer Alison Spencer-Scragg said: “Ford signed a collective agreement for these workers last year, but since then has caused widespread anger by completely disregarding it.

“It is completely unacceptable that Ford is trying to impose a corporate performance model that undervalues this key management group’s contribution to the company’s success.

“Workers have organised for a voice surrounding their pay and conditions and expect their union to be treated respectfully through a recognised collective process.

“This dispute will continue to escalate unless Ford engages in meaningful negotiations, with an intention to reach agreement surrounding the very reasonable resolutions already tabled by Unite.”