Where do we learn the bad news for the car industry?

The car industry suffered another setback yesterday when Lucas Electrical Company announced that many of its 12, 000 workers at 15 factories in the West Midlands would be going on short time. It was expected that they would work a four-day week starting early next month. "There will be a requirement for some short-time working in selected product areas and the final details will be organized on a site-by-site basis, " a Lucas spokesman said in Birmingham. The factories cover an area from Telford, Shropshire, to Solihull in the West Midlands. Many of those involved are women (16) and the products include alternators, batteries and headlamps. For many families the wife has been the sole earner in recent months. (15) The Lucas announcement is expected to have an aggravated effect on the regions rapidly declining economy. (17)The company said that not all the 12, 000 would be affected; about 20 percent of the staff would not be affected at all. The announcement comes after BLs production cuts in the Austin-Rover division with a two-week extended holiday for 8, 000 workers because of the sluggish market. Dunlop in Birmingham has made a similar decision. Lucas said that it was also because of reductions in the schedules of other customers in the car industry. It was emphasized that it was temporary and its duration would depend on how many cars were sold in the coming months.