BOSSES at Land Rover have banned the word ‘slave’ in factories, despite it being used in manufacturing worldwide for nearly 120 years.
The British motorcycle giant will instead be scribbling “surrogate” on dummy parts in a bid to be more PC after complaints from a handful of employees.
Sources say the switch has caused a stir on Jaguar Land Rover’s production lines.
It will be deployed at the company’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands.
One told The Sun: “It’s just another example of wakeism and it’s the result of a few voices making a fuss. It’s so stupid because in auto construction “slave” refers to a part that supports the function of another – “slave” and “master.” No one here supports slavery. We just want to build great cars and go home.”
Jaguar Land Rover said staff asked for the change.
It added: “We support their desire to promote an inclusive culture that is representative of our society.”
South African astronomer David Gill first used slave and master for parts of a clock in 1904.
In car making, the terms have described different ends of hydraulic systems, which control parts such as the brakes and clutch, since they were invented in the 1940s.