Plot Summary for
Made in Dagenham (2010) More at IMDbPro »

In 1968, the Ford auto factory in Dagenham was one of the largest single private employers in the United Kingdom. In addition to the thousands of male employees, there are also 187 underpaid women machinists who primarily assemble the car seat upholstery in poor working conditions. Dissatisfied, the women, represented by the shop steward and Rita O'Grady, work with union rep Albert Passingham for a better deal. However, Rita learns that there is a larger issue in this dispute considering that women are paid an appalling fraction of the men's wages for the same work across the board on the sole basis of their sex. Refusing to tolerate this inequality any longer, O'Grady leads a strike by her fellow machinists for equal pay for equal work. What follows would test the patience of all involved in a grinding labour and political struggle that ultimately would advance the cause of women's rights around the world. Written by Kenneth Chisholm (kchishol@rogers.com)

In 1968, the women at the Ford auto plant in Dagenham, England go on strike. As sewing machine operators making the coverings for car seats, their jobs have been reclassified from semi-skilled to unskilled. A friendly shop steward, Albert Passingham, tells strike leader Rita O'Grady that this isn't about whether they are skilled or not. They're getting paid less because they are women and unless they change things, they will always make less than the men do. The women walk off the job and eventually the plant runs out of car seats with the entire plant shutting down. With the men now out of work it's left to Rita to convince them they need the support of all worker to succeed. The intervention of a senior government Minister who takes up their cause despite a heavy-handed response from Ford clears the way for a solution and leads to legislation on equal pay for work of equal value. Based on a true story. Written by garykmcd

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