British union leaders and Ford Motor Co....

British union leaders and Ford Motor Co. have agreed to resume talks on ending a weeklong strike that has halted production at Britain’s largest car maker. The London Evening Standard reported that the strike would be called off later this week after a secret deal on pay and work practices between Ford and its 32,500 manual workers. Ford, however, described the report as purely speculative. The company’s 22 British plants have been shut since Feb. 8, when the workers walked out in protest over plans to link a pay rise with boosting efficiency through new Japanese-style work methods.