LONDON — The House of Commons Backbench Business Committee is to hold a debate on Ford Motor Co.'s duty of care to its former Visteon employees after 66 members of parliament from across all parties signed a letter in support of former employees' pension fight.
The letter stated: “That this House continues to note that, when Visteon UK Ltd. was spun off from the Ford Motor Co., employees transferred from Ford's pension fund into the Visteon UK pension fund on the clear understanding that their pension rights would be unaffected; further notes that when Visteon UK subsequently went into administration, now over four years ago, former Ford employees suffered a substantial reduction in their pension rights; regrets that the resolution of any court action is still some way off; believes that Ford should recognize a duty of care to its former employees and should make good the pension losses suffered by those worst affected without the need for legal action; and calls on the government to use the power and influence at its disposal to help ensure that Ford recognizes its obligations and accepts voluntarily its duty of care to former Visteon UK pensioners.”
The debate will take place in the main chamber of the House on Dec. 12.
It is expected that a large contingent of pensioners will be in attendance representing the four ex-Ford/Visteon manufacturing areas of Basildon, Enfield, Swansea and Belfast involved in the fight to have their pensions restored by Ford.
