"We want to tell the company they should honor the agreement, for the future of our workplace and our livelihood," said Dennis, a line worker in the Paint, Trim, and Assembly Plant (PTA) for 14 years, who asked that his last name not be used. Workers carried union placards saying, "Ford, honor your agreements" and "No closure." One handmade placard declared, "Jac Nasser, job slasher," referring to Ford's CEO.

Many workers came straight off the night shift at the PTA and body plants on union-organized buses. Others went in late onto the day shift, losing half a day's pay. Union stewards had gone around the day before in those plants encouraging workers to attend. The company was forced to run the production line at half speed for most of the shift.

The protesters were referring to a 1997 agreement signed by Nasser and officials of the Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU) and other unions that "confirmed Dagenham Operations as a long-term strategic source for the Fiesta and the lead plant for the next generation Fiesta," the car model made at Dagenham, and that declared the company's "intention" to keep the Dagenham diesel engine plant in operation.

In February the company announced it would cut the PTA and body plant night shift in August, with the loss of 1,350 jobs. In May came the news that it would close these plants in 2002 as part of a European restructuring including the closure of plants in Poland, Portugal, and Belarus. The Financial Times of London reports that more than 2,000 workers in Genk, Belgium, and Cologne, Germany, have already been affected by the changes.

This restructuring is Ford's response to a crisis of capitalist overproduction of cars in Europe, driven by increased competition.

The London Chambers of Commerce has estimated that the closure of Dagenham's assembly operations will cost 20,000 jobs.

Contingents of workers from Johnsons Controls on the Dagenham estate, who make car seats for the production line, and from the Visteon radiator plant in Basildon, Essex, brought banners to the rally. The Johnsons workers were cheered loudly when TGWU chief negotiator Tony Woodley thanked them in his speech.

"If they get away with it at Ford Dagenham, they can get away with it anywhere," said John, a PTA worker for 12 years.

In an effort to undercut resistance, Ford is offering "voluntary" redundancy (layoffs) and early retirement packages, relatively large by standards in this country. The company also promises 500 new jobs in the engine plant, which it says will stay open. Relatively few engine plant workers attended the rally. Nonetheless, quite a few workers who are leaving in July participated.

At the end of the protest, Woodley emerged from the Ford building and announced, to loud cheers and banging of placards, "The unions are now in dispute with the Ford Motor Company." The workers in the body and assembly plants will take a strike authorization vote at the end of July. Depending on the result of that ballot, voting will be extended to the other plants at Dagenham.

Caroline Bellamy is a member of the TGWU at Ford Dagenham.  
 
 
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