Midland Motor Cylinder Factory Strike

Smethwick

In November 1968 100 white workers walked out of the Midland Motor Cylinder Factory in Smethwick, which was owned by Birmid Industries. The dispute began when William Marshall was hired and, in response, the shop steward Johinder Singh led the factory’s 200 South Asian workers on strike. White workers believed that the South Asian employees withdrew their labour due to a ‘reverse colour bar’ in which white people were discriminated against, although Singh insisted that they protested because Marshall was hired despite several South Asian workers applying for the same role before him. Similar disputes related to racial discrimination took place in 1968 across several factories owned by Birmid Industries.