are trade unions the real culprits in the demise of the british car industry.?

Question

remember at linwood the management could not even sack a sleeping drunk on the nightshift without a 3 week strike.

Answer 1

Biggest single culprits, together with idiotic management.
Look at the 1973 Mini Metro, entered production on 1979 or was it 80, the engine designed for it the K series hit the streets in 1989.
Austin All agro, Austin Ambassador, Triumph TR bloody 7, when they sused it by fitting a V8 they only made a handfull.
The Mini Cooper, Oh it put up the Insurance on other minis, yet when they finally brought it back it took 60% of Mini sales, yet the lads on the production line just wanted to do a good job.
The final nails are being driven by bloody Blair now, what do we build, the worlds best 4X4X far what does Blair do, wage war on 4X4s you could not make it up.

Answer 2

Yes - Unionised labour was a different beast then. The miners regularly held the country to ransom with power cuts and well - this government saw the last of Rover.

However there is something that did happen as Thatcher broke the Unions' backs and started getting this country competitive again - Foreign Industrial investment was encouraged into this country to build cars. We produce as many cars now as we did at peak production in the seventies because of this. We just don't own the brands. However we are squandering this advantage under Labour - TVR is now leaving Blackpool for good and going overseas following Rover into the history books as a British company.

Answer 3

I sold their cars at the time in question. They were poorly designed and shoddily made and EXPENSIVE for what they were.

But it wasn't just the unions although they must share the blame, exceptionally poor management aided by the feeling that they could run to government it times of trouble, which occurred with distressing regularity.

Then there were the governments, of both parties, shovelling out cash to save these wretched companies.

Meanwhile Mr Ford and Mr Vauxhall were making reasonable cars at just under British Leyland prices and making seriously tasty profits. . .and then the Japanese were drawn to the honeypot.

Now, of course the Japanese operate here making good margins and good cars too.

There is no need to spell out the lesson.

Answer 4

I certainly do not think they helped the industry at all but you must remember the way cars were built then was a very demotivating job in those days so it was not surprising that trouble makers could find plenty of willing recruits to their cause so the employers are also to blame for creating a the situation

Answer 5

Jaguar/landrover business enterprise has better via approximately 60% in some places and has taken on a super form of persons of their Liverpool production facility using fact the call for for their automobiles international has long previous up.

Answer 6

no. the big bang - the deregulation of the stockmarket under thatcher - and the subsequent ease with which investment can find cheaper markets, is the problem.

Answer 7

Demise was due to fatcat bosses more determined to take profit and cut back on reliable components and incar luxuries.

Answer 8

No, far more to do with lack of investment and outdated production methods...we just fell too far behind other manufacturers

Answer 9

YES!