WE’RE not sure if this was an occasion for celebration or not. The last MG car body was leaving the Pressed Steel Fisher factory at Cowley.

The date, as you can see, was October 17, 1980 and workers gathered round to say farewell to a model which had become familiar at the plant.

From there, the last body would be taken by lorry to the MG factory for assembly.

Sadly, after more than 50 years, production of the famous sports car was coming to an end.

The picture was sent in by Angela Smith, of White Road, Cowley, whose late father, Basil Cook, is the man in the white coat on the right wearing a tie.

He worked at Pressed Steel in the 1960s and 1970s as a supervisor on the MG, Rolls-Royce and Vanguard models. He also worked at the MG Abingdon factory.

At that time, it was not all gloomy news for those at Pressed Steel. They may have been losing one model, but they were taking on more work producing bodies for two new ones – the Mini Metro and the Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.

The Metro had made a VIP appearance in Oxford at that time, transporting Liberal leader David Steel around the city before he spoke to Liberal students at the Northgate Hall in St Michael’s Street.

Although there was some good news for the Oxford motor industry, there were the usual clouds on the horizon.

Workers at the local factories had been warned that they faced losing hundreds of pounds in a dispute over plans by British Leyland to cut staff. Four staff unions had imposed a company-wide ban on overtime.

Meanwhile, management and unions were arguing over pay. Workers had rejected one offer and were being balloted on a second, after the company increased the amount by 60p.

Craftsmen were being offered £104.60 a week and lower grades £67.60, but despite the dire straits the industry was in, there were doubts that it would be agreed.

Can anyone name other workers in the picture above? Write and let me know.

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