FORD INQUIRY
SIR.—Your call for an independent inquiry into the long history of labour disputes at Ford's Dagenham factory is timely. It is from such a case of industrial conflict that lessons for the future can be learned. There arc, however, problems involved. The inquiry must be truly independent; I suggest it would best be carried out by a university research team in the social sciences—the Court of Inquiry ordered by the Minister of Labour is unlikely to delve deeply enough into the causes of the malaise, which probably lie in sociological and psychological diffi- culties.
More difficult is to ensure that the inquiry is accepted by all concerned. It is not enough that top- management of the firm and of the unions accept it. All levels in the organisations concerned must support the inquiry—it is on the rocks of non-co- operation by middle-management and workers' representatives that such a project could come to grief.
The only way that such co-operation can be achieved is by constant consideration, consultation and participation. Let us hope that the situation has not deteriorated too far for this to take place.
MARTIN O. EVANS
3a The Court. Newport Road, Cardiff
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