Rumours of mass picket at BMW plant in Cowley, Oxford

After job cuts were announced at a BMW Mini car plant in Oxford, it is thought that workers, angry with both the company and their union, are planning a mass picket for tomorrow morning.

Submitted by Ed on February 22, 2009

Workers at the Cowley plant near Oxford learned 850 jobs are to go, affecting agency staff from the weekend shift. Agency workers were given just one hours notice that they were being made redundant. Many of them have worked there for years but have no rights to redundancy pay.

Anger boiled over at a meeting with the union when workers were pelted union leaders with eggs and fruit (link here).

A mass picket at the plant has been called for tomorrow, Monday 23rd February, Gate One at 6am.

Comments

Caiman del Barrio

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Caiman del Barrio on February 23, 2009

Apparently this was a complete washout, 2 pickets and 30 politicos...

davidbroder

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by davidbroder on February 23, 2009

Alan is right...

http://thecommune.wordpress.com/2009/02/23/protest-by-bmwmini-workers-at-cowley/

But (as mentioned in the linked article) there are some big wildcats by German car workers.

Steven.

15 years 1 month ago

In reply to by libcom.org

Submitted by Steven. on February 23, 2009

Unfortunately I'm not surprised by that. It looked like more wishful thinking on the part of some politicos than a real workers action.

Discussion on the forums here:
http://libcom.org/forums/news/workers-attacks-union-after-bmw-layoffs-16022009