Speculation that Ford UK was retrenching part of its activities in Essex, especially at Dunton, has been dismissed as "totally incorrect and totally without any foundation" by a Ford spokesman at Warley.

Echoing the words of Bill Ford, chief executive of Ford International in Dearborn, US, that "inaccurate things were being said about the company" the spokesman denied that the night-shift at Dunton had been suspended and that there had been staff cutbacks at Warley and Basildon.

The speculation that some engineering programmes were being transferred from Dunton to Germany where Ford Europe is now headquartered were again dismissed "as totally untrue."

The spokesman said transfer of staff and projects between Germany and the UK "was a two-way thing, and had been operating for some time."

Concern that jobs could be at risk in Essex were fuelled by national newspaper reports that Ford's share prices had taken a dive to a 10-year low in reaction to fears about a war in Iraq.

Published Tuesday, April 22, 2003

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