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Man Alive: Whose Spanner in the Works?

on BBC Two England

Reporters: Jeremy James, Jeanna La Chard, John Pitman, Jack Pizzey, Desmond Wilcox, Harold Williamson

For 16 months men and women workers at the Triumph motor cycle factory at Meriden, near Coventry, have occupied the premises in a bid to run the place themselves as a workers' co-operative. The old management, Norton-Villiers-Triumph, closed the factory in a rationalisation scheme and sacked 1,700 men and women.
But half the workers refused to go. They closed the gates on their bosses, set up a 24-hour picket, and occupied the factory. Man Alive was there then.
Ten months ago the company offered to sell them the factory. Then, six months ago, the Government announced it would grant loans of £5m to their co-operative to help them. But the sale has not been finalised, the Government offer and money hasn't come to anything, work never started.
But still 300 workers, whose hopes have been raised; and then dashed time and again, man the picket line. Their severance pay is spent; their life savings gone.
Harold Williamson returns to Meriden and tells the story of their long struggle as they ask how much longer it will be before their workers' co-operative will start to manufacture motorcycles, and who's putting the spanner in the works?

Contributors

Reporter:
Harold Williamson
Producer:
Richard Thomas
Editor:
Adam Clapham

BBC Two England

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