Flashback: Workers on strike, tenants under threat and Princess Diana
Dagenham's Ford factory, circa 1970. - Credit: Archant
Take a look at the stories of note from this week 20, 40 and 60 years ago.
1956: More than 7,000 workers walked out of their jobs at Briggs’ factory and went on strike over mass redundancies at the Ford company premises.
The decision was made after a day of meetings between 21 union chiefs and company officials failed to reach a compromise over the “protective dismissal notices” of more than 4,000 staff at the factory.
The company claimed the dismissals were necessary because a strike at a midlands factory meant parts needed for certain models were no longer available, and so staff working on these models were to be laid off.
However, the deputy convenor of the strike meeting said it was very much a case of “One out, all out.”
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1976: 1,000 Redbridge tenants were under threat as a result of a council policy change on houses divided into flats and bedsits.
The council announced it was planning to get tougher on owners who converted their houses into houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) without first getting planning permission.
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At a meeting of the planning committee, members agreed that immediate action was needed over two houses owned by a Wanstead woman.
The current tenants of the house have been informed they now have two years to find alternative accommodation.
Around 500 HMOs were registered in the borough at the time, but council officials believed there to be double that amount.
1996: Barkingside-based children’s charity Barnado’s were worried that Princess Diana’s divorce from Prince Charles would lead to them losing thousands of pounds worth of funds.
In the wake of the Royal divorce, more than a hundred charity groups lost the princess as a patron.
A statement by Barnado’s hailed the princess for her tireless work for the charity for 12 years, but also expressed fears over what the loss of her funding could mean.
It praised her for bringing the charity high levels of publicity over the 100 projects she worked with them on.
