32. Fighting closure at Ford Bridgend

Bosses at the Ford Motor Company are trying to close the engine factory at Bridgend in South Wales. Hundreds of workers could lose their well-paid, skilled jobs, and thousands more workers in the supply chain could be affected. The closure threat follows a series of high-profile crises in industry and retail, and Ford’s own record of whittling down its workforce in Britain. What kind of action is necessary to save the jobs. And how could socialist policies tackle the cause of this raft of closures? We ask Rob Williams, chair of the National Shop Stewards Network, speaking in a personal capacity.