Govt blamed for motor firm’s closing

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 25

Govt blamed for motor firm’s closing

PA Wellington Ford Motor Company workers accused Government members of Parliament of broken promises during a stop-work meeting on Tuesday to discuss the proposed Seaview factory closing, said the secretary of the Coachworkers’ Union, Mr Graeme Clarke.

The workers were also angry at the company which after 50 years in the Hutt Valley was destroying 600 jobs, said Mr Clarke.

One worker summed up the feeling with criticism of Labour MPs, Mr Clarke said.

The worker told the meeting that Labour politicians before the last election had joined trade unions in opposing National Government plans for the future of the motor industry. “The feeling Is that now Labour is in Government they are making essentially the same decision about the industry as planned by National,” Mr Clarke said.

Mr Clarke said he did

not accept that the workers felt disillusioned by the Government “I think most would agree they are better off under Labour. But as regards the closing they are unhappy. Having a job is pretty Important” The union saw the .Government motor industry plan as the key to the Ford decision to close the Seaview plant in two years. In 1984, Ford announced a $25 million expansion at Seaview which was later scrapped. Now the company was saying that a smaller domestic assembly market and less protection meant the Seaview plant had to close, Mr Clarke said. A meeting between union representatives and Ford management is planned for Monday. The unions wanted to know whether Ford would change plans for closing if the motor industry plan were altered. “We do not accept that the decision to close is inevitable. We want to keep the plant going In Seaview,” Mr Clarke said.