Cabs lined up outside the Manganese Bronze company in Coventry. Picture: David Jones/PA Wire

London black cab makers stage protest over job losses

Thursday, November 1, 2012
3:23 PM

Staff at the maker of London black cabs held talks today with administrators after staging a protest after being told of potential job losses.

A handful of workers at Manganese Bronze locked themselves in the factory last night after administrators PWC were called in because of a failure to gain new funding.

A total of 156 workers are to be made redundant as a result of the firm’s collapse, prompting an angry response from the Unite union. People working at the firm’s London base are among those with a job is under threat.

Regional officer Peter Coulson said: “The parties held detailed discussions over the future of the plant and will continue to maintain a dialogue.

“Unite remains committed to securing the manufacturer’s future and supporting the skilled workers who are facing extremely difficult times.”

The administrators said later that they had met staff to explain that, “regrettably”, there will be 156 redundancies with immediate effect.