If you have a Mini it is one of 700ish that are made here each day, by 1,000 balletic robots and 4,000 not-so-balletic humans. The humans are conveniently employed by agencies so can be disposed of at short notice if demand drops, if their work isn't up to standard or if they get stroppy. Many of the humans work for agencies for years. BMW offers employment contracts to a select group it has observed at work and decided it does not want to lose.

None of this has anything to do with the fact that car plant workers don't go on strike any more. Just in case you were wondering.