| Description | Track 1 [00:51:28] [Session one: 10th December 2013] Born in Bryn 1961. Describes grandparents' origins: grandparents on mother’s side, came to work from Worcester in the coal industry in newly opened Bryn Navigation mine, near Maesteg, south Wales whilst grandfather (on father’s side) was from Gloucester. Mentions how grandfather fought in both World wars and was head gardener in the memorial park in Tai Bach, Port Talbot. Mentions father began in the Steel industry as a clay boy* in melting shop and later in the VLM (?) plant. Mentions how father did National Service in parachute regiment. [GR]Mentions attended primary school in Bryn and then Duffryn comprehensive, Margam. Mentions dis-repair of children’s appearance in school; no shoelaces, holes in trousers resulting from large families and family breakdowns. Mentions seeing this poverty prepared him for life in the real world. Mentions getting an apprenticeship after leaving school as a panel beater and sprayer in a garage before moving to Andrew Scott contractors, main contractors to British Steel. Mentions wanted to work in the Steel plant due to family connections. [00:05:00] Describes how shift work affected family life, respecting silence at home during the day whilst his father was sleeping. Comments how family life and its demands have changed over a generation. Mentions regrets not talking more with father and admits that his job in the steel works was the result of his father’s employment within it. Comments that the steel industry was a father to son industry. Discusses the fathers’ recommendation for their sons to work in the steel industry was usually successful in that you had your father’s reputation to withhold. Describes his time with Andrew Scott contactors working on the fifth, sixth and seventh floor of the Basic Oxygen steel making [B.O.S.] Plant and the dirty work of shovelling manganese, lime, dolomite***. Remarks on the extreme working patterns, 3 months without a break. [00:07:00] Describes his experience of entering the B.O.S plant for the first time in 1979; hot, noisy, large and intimidating. Recounts story of an explosion nearly knocking him off the stairs. Mentions career and progression within steel industry together with the passion people felt for the job. Mentions the steel industry’s exciting environment was a reason to want to go to work. [00:09:00] Describes the dangers of pouring steel from a three hundred and thirty tonne ladle into an ingot mould which generated carbon monoxide (which is explosive) and comments that gases must be released at a regular rate to be safe and not build up. Mentions experience of flyers which was liquid metal flying out of control. Mentions working at the Bessemer shop. [00:11:00] Remarks on the different attitudes to work between men, with men who had done their National Service more regimented. Describes how the big strike by the electricians held back development of the casting plant until the early 1980’s. Comments that moved from the boss plant in 1982 to the number one continuous casting (Con Cast) plant in Port Talbot and mentions the number one Con Cast plant as being the biggest ventures BS had taken on, producing better quality steel, safer and easier to produce. [00:14:00] Mentions union meeting stating that the success of the Con Cast plant was on their shoulders. Mentions the total project cost in 1982 was more than one hundred and fifty million pounds as only the best was used. Describes enjoyed role of an assistant operator in the Con Cast works and the camaraderie shared between workers. Describes eating food on the job as committed to make success of the plant meant no time to waste. Describes how the job took him all over the world and gives example of his time in Holland. Mentions vending machines for alcohol in Belgium and relates a story whereby workers were drunk by ten o’clock in morning. Mentions wages and compares the contractor’s wages with that of British steel employees. Remarks on the excellent pension scheme for British steel. Mentions the long hours worked and the dangers within the works and the implementation of health and safety clothing. Relates story of Welsh woollen shirts being worn in the works and to bed in the winter. Comments that although the boots and flame proof bottoms were supplied by the company, the workers were expected to pay for the shirts. Describes the sweat clothes and the job they did protecting your back from any sparks. [00:22:00] Positively describes being in the Con Cast for thirty-one years and thirty-five years in the steel industry. Describes how fellow workers became more like family members. Passionately comments on there being no other industry like the steel industry for making such tight bonds, it warrants a different kind of respect due to its dangerous environment. Comments visitors to plant were overcome by its scale. [00:24:00] Comments on the promotional opportunities and describes the hierarchy within the company with shop floor supervisors having the most respect. Remarks on graduates on a summer internship. Comments on seeing a different side to the industry taking a management job in the late nineties in that he felt alone and not one of the boys. [00:27:00] Remarks on the strikes in the eighties. Describes the hardships faced with eight members of the family living in a two and a half bedroomed council house. Mentions depression felt with no money coming in for twelve weeks of the strike and wondering whether there’d be a steel industry to come back to. [00:29:00] Mentions the Brick stores, supplier of ten open hearths in Port Talbot, and how in the seventies they were still storing torpedoes for a war. Remarks on nuclear missiles would have been used if there had been a war. Mentions how transitions within the steel industry seemed to be every decade. Mentions Britain is now only making six million tonnes of steel compared to China making six hundred million. [00:30:00] Mentions being of an impressionable age during the strike and comments on his role on the picket line at Signodes, Gorseinon, watching people fighting against the police. Remarks on the similarities between a football match. Mentions feeling of relief when strike ended although short lived with mass redundancies following. Mentions everybody’s job was under threat. Described how the unions and management worked together to save young people’s jobs by retiring the older workers. [00:32:00] Mentions his father being sceptical by having to take early retirement. Mentions in hindsight the strike was just a massive transition in the industry which needed to happen. Describes the post-strike European Union (EU) agreement where industries had to abide to certain quotas of steel production, resulting in a four-day week at Port Talbot. Mentions desperation of industries to hide steel production amounts from EU assessors, Taranto in Italy hid a blast furnace. Mentions being an active member of the Iron and steel trades confederation (ISTC) and believed in its principals of a fair day’s wage for a day’s work. Describes issues mentioned at union meetings were retirement ages. [00:37:00] Comments on meetings being well attended with some rugby clubs that were packed out. [00:38:00] Discussion on communists: in steel industry and south Wales miners. Remarks on the steel industry changes due to management take over. Mentions Nipon steel and the steel company of Wales in 1960’s and relates story of bad feelings from some Japanese Prisoners of War [POW] working in the company. Mentions the pleasure it’s been to work with father as well as an interesting mix of people and gives example of one such worker who would bring his horse into the lounge. Comments on the changes in the industry and mentions new employees don’t know much about the process anymore. Compares the Indian steel industry to how the British industry was in that you were brought up in the industry from a young age and worked through the seniority system until you reach a certain level in the company. Mentions those days are gone with the seniority system ending in 1999. [00: 44:00] Describes the strong sense of community identity in Bryn where he’s from with seats allocated for certain members of the village in the rugby club. Comments on its treatment of people from outside of the village. Mentions other employers in the area were St Johns colliery in Maesteg, Christie Tyler furniture maker, Revlon, steel industry at Baglan Bay, a cigar factory, Fords. Remarks about how jobs were plentiful then. Comments how this changed through his life. Mentions the difficulty in getting employment created ghettos in areas like the Sandfields, Maesteg with unemployment creating drug use. [00:47:00] Mentions Industry today is few and far between. Relates the continuation of the steel industry, in the area where other industries have folded, to its Geography and harbour site. Comments on future of steel industry and echoes Monty Finniston’s words (late 1970’s) that there would only be one steel industry in UK in the future and that will be Port Talbot. |