In addition to the thousands of male employees, there are also 187 underpaid women machinists who primarily assemble the car seat upholstery in poor working conditions. Trustford dagenham fordstore dagenham ford house ripple road dagenham ig11 9pg tel. In 1968, the ford auto factory in dagenham was one of the largest single private employers in the united kingdom. Dora challingsworth and sheila douglass spoke to sabby sagall and sheila mcgregor about their experiences during the strikes. Modern industries, notably the ford motor works, soon followed the new population. Fifty years ago on 7 june 1968 a landmark event in uk labour relations occurred, which directly contributed to the passing of the equal pay act in 1970. Ford retail limited 2 charter court, newcomen way, colchester, essex, co4 9ya uk registered. Dagenham england dagenham london, england export citation. Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of dagenham. News of the strike reached fords in halewood, liverpool and female workers showed solidarity for the important cause, supporting those striking in the south.
It was a relatively untouched farming village until 1921 when 26,000 homes were built on becontree estate in response to londons growing housing needs. Barking and dagenham, london borough genealogy genealogy. A desperate mothers fight against drugs, death and desperation in the deprived town of dagenham. This book is a lively look at workingclass history as made daily by socalled. The strike was a key factor in passing the equal pay act of 1970, which made it illegal to have different pay scales due to gender. Ford female employees win strike for equal pay in dagenham. Ever since it opened its doors in 1931, the ford factory at dagenham has been the beating heart of the uk motor industry. Jun 08, 2018 strike history exactly 50 years ago, 187 female sewing machinists at dagenham fords made history and took action, striking for equality in pay in 1968. A history of dagenham in the county of essex john peter. With doraly rosa, bradley doughty, nikolaos brahimllari, dean roberts. As manufacturing moved offshore in the latter half of the 20th century, established firms shut down, and nothing came in the fill their places. Barking and dagenham is a blue collar area of london, and is one of the poorest of the new london boroughs, and in 2017, the borough lay at the bottom of most of londons leaderboards. Dagenham became an urban district in 1926 and a borough in 1938.
Ford at dagenham is a fascinating record of car production techniques and processes at ford as they have evolved over the years. Inside the east london car factory you thought had closed. The strike occupies a key position in the histories of the labour movement and the wlm. The women from the company ford cars are working the same amount of work with men and. Ford s dagenham factory was one of the key centres of carmaking in britain. Jan 25, 2017 while it was eventually successful in the dagenham ford factory, as of 2010, women still earned approximately 16. This accounts details fordson production in britain, covering both cork and dagenham, and making full mention of the personalities involved. Ford dominated, but many other firms made up dagenhams industrial heartland. This illustrated history gives a fascinating behindthescenes insight into the past and present of ford s dagenham factory, famous for producing some of britains favourite family cars the anglia, cortina, consul and zephyr. Central pressgetty images t here was the famous car factory, built at the end of the 1920s, when ford bought 55 acres of land from. This book, in the form of a dialogue between friedman the thenconvenor of fords dagenham plant and meredeen the manager then responsible for job evaluation and gradings is the basis for much of the account presented here. Dagenhams debut the model aa truck was driven off the production line at 1.
An insight into the development, engineering, production and uses of dagenham s first allnew agricultural tractor. May 15, 2009 dagenham s 10 millionth car and ford s 250 millionth worldwide, a fiesta, was driven off the line at dagenham in 1996 by retired boxing champion and local resident frank bruno. Gentleman aware that, on 10th november, fords of dagenham held a very big. The idea that the strike was a decisive victory in womens fight for equal pay was popularised. Touchstone archaeology is conducting an oral history study of the may and baker factory, dagenham and invites an. Ford motor company, american automotive corporation cofounded in 1903 by henry ford. Buy made in dagenham scholastic readers 1 by paul shipton isbn.
Mar 20, 2010 an aerial view of ford s dagenham plant in 1962. Browse 79 photo books on dagenham and the surrounding area. It was a trigger cause of the passing of the equal pay act 1970. Exploring ford uk s design studios during the past 70 years, this book provides a unique insight into the company s history, its uk studio locations, and delves into the lives of the. Kevin wilson looks at the ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 and the wider campaigns for equal pay since the nineteenth century, and highlights lses rich collections in this area. See all books memories of dagenham read and share your memories of dagenham itself or of a particular photo of dagenham. Ford female employees win strike for equal pay, dagenham. They protested being placed in the unions b grade of unskilled workers when men who did the same level of work were placed in the semiskilled c grade. Book recommendations, author interviews, editors picks, and more. The history press the ford sewing machinists equal pay. Sep, 2010 i was born in the dagenham area and most of my family worked for ford. The ford sewing machinists strike and the history of the. Ford heritage museum dagenham, united kingdom local.
When the wheels came off the dream communities the guardian. Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 project gutenberg. Barking and dagenham seen in nostalgic photos daily mail online. Ford and dagenham have a long history together, with the ford dagenham plant opening in 1931 and producing millions of cars in the years since. What information do you have on the dagenham plant in england. But just like edsel hammering the spade straight on a rail track 80 years ago, ford is used to being between a rock and a hard place and will drive on through the rough times until the road is smooth again. Fords dagenham factory was one of the key centres of carmaking in britain. The dagenham ford factory was an industrial hub until it closed in 20 image. For over sixty years it was known for massproducing a series of popular cars which earned it a distinctive place in british motoring history.
A major section of the book is devoted to the american tractor line, reestablished in 1939 with the 9n built in collobaration with harry ferguson. On 7 june 1968 women workers at ford in dagenham went on strike. Truth be told, it didnt prove overly popular with the. As far as the history of the matter is concerned, the application was received by the. Ford dagenham is a major automotive factory located in dagenham, london, operated by the ford of britain subsidiary of ford motor company. In the distant past, barking owed its existence to the abbey that had.
The truth about whether dagenham is in london or essex. In october, a film starring sally hawkins, bob hoskins and rosamund pike, called we want sex, will be released documenting the dagenham ford factory womens fight for equal pay. There is also the apprentices school, with more than 8,000 books, to bring. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most definitive collection ever assembled. As part of a ford rearrangement, their job was being reclassified as category b less. Dagenham history in pictures we do not own these pictures, they are the boroughs heritage, to be enjoyed by residents past, present and. Retrieved 4 october 2010 dagenham car plant stitchup that triggered fight for equal pay, the times, 24 april 2009. I am not old enough to remember all the details of the strike of the women sewing machinists at ford in 1968 although i do remember it as i also remember so many bitter strikes in those years with so many of the family sharing so that none would go without during hard times but i have plenty of older relatives who can. Chapter 2 provides an original account of the ford sewing machinists fight for skill recognition in 1968. The film made in dagenham portrays the 1968 strike of women workers at ford.
The strike, led by rose boland, eileen pullen, vera sime, gwen davis, and sheila douglass, began on 7 june 1968, when women sewing machinists at ford motor. The women were sewing machinists who made covers for car seats. The ford sewing machinists strike, 1968, dagenham in. Jul 12, 2017 the towns of barking and dagenham have been closely connected throughout history, mr foley said in the book s introduction. The story of a union branch at ford dagenham sheila.
Dagenham photos, maps, books, memories francis frith. The history of ford cars at dagenham adrian flux insurance. The ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 was a landmark labourrelations dispute in th. Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Industrial relations fords dagenham plant once the biggest factory in europe, now a fallen giant rolled out a rich social history alongside its. More than 50 types of birds now nest on the site that has manufactured more than 37 million engines and 11 million cars since 1931. Rapidly, the effects of the strike were seen, as car production ceased within the first week. Many of the littleknown prototypes are described as well. Oct 06, 2009 ford at dagenham has changed a lot over the years and the 21st century will present its own challenges. The women in dagenham factory were sewing machinists, responsible for the car seats in the majority of ford cars built in the area. One of the worlds largest automakers, it manufactures passenger cars, trucks, and tractors as well as automotive parts and accessories. The plant opened in 1931 and has produced 10,980,368 cars and more than 39,000,000 engines in its history. Retrieved 4 october 2010 a b the reunion, bbc, published 2003.
The strike is widely understood as a crucial turning point that led to the equal pay act in 1970. The ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 was a landmark labourrelations dispute in the united kingdom. As unexpected as it may seem on a busy industrial site, fords dagenham estate is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Churning out cars, engines and the motoring fantasies of generations, the plant employed around 40,000 people at its peak in the 50s and even today it is held in high esteem by those with petrol in their veins. Dagenham sewing machinists recall strike that changed womens. Online shopping from a great selection at books store.
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