Ford is demanding far-reaching changes to working practices form trade unions at its Halewood car factory on Merseyside before agreeing to invest millions of pounds in new facilities to make the next generation of Ford Escort. Halewood employs 5,500 people, 4,500 of them in the car assembly plant and the rest on gearbox production. It has been hit by the slump in the domestic car market suffering frequent periods of down-time.
- The Guardian 22/7/96 page 14
