A small section of the plant downs tools in protest. TGWU backs seven black and Asian workers who take Ford to an industrial tribunal after being turned down for jobs. Unions request management discuss the implications of the Macpherson report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence with them. The company refuses. Senior management figures repeatedly refuse to attend meetings about equal opportunities procedures despite the fact that 40-45 percent of hourly paid workers at Dagenham are black or Asian and 98 percent of all supervisory and senior staff are white.
Unofficial stoppages force a hasty change of tune.
Management agrees to emergency negotiations but still won't agree to make changes. Two mass meetings of PTA workers on Friday of last week vote to ballot for strike action. It has been going on for years. It is enshrined in the system. But the problem of racism is more from management than from the other workers.