Strike action over robotics in British car manufacturing?

[alex_holden]

Here is a question a friend posed that I don't know the answer to:

1. Were there strikes over the introduction of robotics technology into the UK car industry?
2. When did this happen and where?

[rayofleamington]

I don't know any specific detail of strikes but at the same time as increased automation there was a lot of industrial action in the UK auto industry.
If you dig around you should be able to find newspaper articles about it, however don't expect that the papers told anything like a true story, therefore the exact reasons for strikes could easily have been misrepresented.

Fiat ran an advertising campaign about one new car "built by robots".
Shortly afterwards, there was a mickey take in the UK media about BMC cars "built by Robbo's" reffereing to 'red Robbo' the union guy (can't remember his real name).