Ford at Dagenham facing standstill as Lineside Logistics workers strike over pay

Ford’s iconic engine plant at Dagenham, East London, is set to come to a standstill later this month as workers employed by Lineside Logistics, who are responsible for engine and parts distribution, take strike action over pay.

The 120 plus workers, who are members of Unite, the UK’s leading union, are also responsible for the company’s parts distribution network in Turkey and South Africa.

The strike is a result of the company making a pay offer of 7.5 per cent at a time when the real inflation rate (RPI) currently stands at 13.5 per cent. This amounts to a substantial real terms pay cut.

An initial nine days of strike action have been announced and will take place on 19, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30 and 31 May as well as 1 and 2 June.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Why would our members accept a pay offer that will make them poorer in real terms? Lineside Logistics can fully afford to make a fair pay offer but it has chosen not to.

“Unite is totally committed to defending and enhancing the jobs, pay and conditions of its members and the workers at Lineside Logistics will receive the union’s unflinching support.”

The company is profitable according to its latest accounts filed at Companies House, which reveal that in 2021 it made a healthy profit.

Unite regional officer Joe Welch said: “The strike action is set to cause huge disruption across Ford’s plants and especially at Dagenham, however this dispute is purely of Lineside Logistics own making. It has had every chance to make a fair pay offer and has chosen not to do so.”