Car Parts Workers



Car Parts Workers
An industrial dispute in Wales which is one of the longest ever recorded has been given up by the workers who were campaigning for compensation. There were eighty-six workers at the car part manufacturers Friction Dynamics in Caernarfon, they won their case for wrongful dismissal at an employment tribunal in 2003. The company sacked the workers after they took industrial action, although several months after the workers won the tribunal, the company was placed into administration. Workers remained to campaign and picket the site for two and half years after being sacked. The American owner of the firm Craig Smith sacked the workers. When Friction Dynamics was placed into administration, a new firm created named Dynamex Friction began production from the same site, with Craig Smith buying the majority of the shares in the business. The workers received redundancy and sick pay, which was paid by the government, although the union Transport, and General Workers Union campaigned for compensation from the owner Craig Smith. A spokesperson for the trades unions stated, its not a matter of accepting defeat, its a matter of accepting reality. The trade union has also openly criticized the government for not changing the laws, which would stop business owners from creating new businesses when the previous has been placed in to administration. A spokesperson from the Department of Trade and Industry stated, the current insolvency regime enables appropriate action to be taken against company directors found guilty of wrong doing. It is now believed that the campaign for compensation has officially ended and that there is not any intention to re-enter the campaign again.