A FIERCE struggle to save the 10,000 jobs in the nationalised shipbuilding industry, threatened by swing of the Tory axe, was promised last weekend.
lightning strike, workers the Clyde immediate walk-out after government announced plans to close shipbuilding yards. meeting declared there would be no further ship trials on the Clyde nor would there be any deliveries. The meeting also called for a national campaign and threats redundancies are lifted.
Plans Among the yards affected by last week's announcement of the Tories' plans are:
*Scotstoun Marine, part of Govan Shipbuilders on the Upper Clyde -2,260 redundancies.
*Cartsdyke, part of Scott Lithgow on the Lower Clyde redundancies.
*Robb Caledon, Dundee - 1,100 redundancies.
*Scott and Sons (Bowling), part of Scott Lithgow on the north bank of the Lower Clyde - 226 redundancies.
As well as these closures, Shipbuilders also plans to 'restructhe latest 5,000 staged an the Tees is to lose 150 jobs. *North. Sands 550 jobs.
to lose 1,000 jobs.
mean over-depressed.
- the last couple Weir Pumps, what it was a few years ago.
by the closures, time;
MILLION MAN-HOURS LO British Sai beikrs Strike Becord ture work, with redundancies at a number of yards this year and next.
*Smith's Dock Company on the yard, part of Sunderland Shipbuilders, is to lose Cammell Laird at Birkenhead is If the closures go ahead it wil layer of economic depression on areas which are already Govan and Scotstoun, on opposite sides of the Clyde, have suffered badly from closures in of years. Major employers such as Goodyear Tyres, and Beatties Biscuits have all recently closed, while Singer has cut its workforce to a fraction of Dundee, another Scottish city hit has also had a lean local employer, The strike record (left) and how this "moderate' approach hasn't worked (right)
National Cash Registers, has created 5,000 redundancies in recent years Two other areas hit, Sunderland and Birkenhead, already suffer from 12 Keith Joseph, Minister responsible for impressed with the recent decision of Govan yards to give up their holiday to meet management's targets for the completion of several Polish ships.
strike record, cannot be wheeled out Fewer hours have been lost through strikes in the last couple of years than for many years previously.
The fact is that the shipbuilding industry is experiencing a world-wide ENG/COWA GOLDING KINCAID (JOHN G.)
250 WELLERIG SCOTTS& CON COTT & SONS SCOTSTOUN MAR managcinch half-hearted nationalisation measures taken by the last Labour government, which meant that what money was allocated to British shipbuilding went on running costs and meeting cash flow problems.
and modernising the various yards.
All this is hardly the fault. Indeed, the collaboration of the ROSS CALEDON" 1,100 2,260 CAMAMELL LAIRD 1,000 union of the Keith None was spent on dispelled.
on workers' answer.
Workers Action debate with the IMG REVOLUTIONARIES AND THE LABOUR PARTY Speakers: Brian Grogan (IMG), John O'Mahony (WA) Fri 24 Aug, 8pm; Hemingford Arms, Offord Rd, London NI (obs to be axed)
DOXFORD I HAVERTON HU 91 CLOSED I MAR SMITH'S DOCH 150 CONTAiNG PRODUCTICI *YARDS TO BE CLOSED t YARD TO BE PUT ON CARE & MAINTENANCE BASIS leaderships in accepting previous redundancies, urging that Joseph that the • saved, impression needs to be immediately strike including seeking the support workers not directly employed at the threatened yards, is obvious WHAT'S LEFTL