| Description | Track 1[00:45:38] [Session One: 14thOctober 2013] Jan Fletcher [JF], born Ynys street, Port Talbot, 1938. Mentions both parents were born in Port Talbot. Mentions mother was a dressmaker whilst father had a variety of trades from working in the saw mills, an insurance agent and a clerk for Furse electrical company. Remarks on family being born locally; dad in Carmarthen road although grandparents came from Oxfordshire. Mentions attended Trefelin junior school and the county grammar school (now Glanafan) until sixteen years old. Mentions start at the steel works in the September 1954. Remarks on lack of enjoyment as reason why did not become a teacher or nurse which were considered the main jobs then. Mentions family friends informed her of employment in steel industry which succeeded on getting along with twenty others. Remarks that a shortfall of typists in steel plant meant could not complete the shorthand and typing course. Remark on one pound fifty per week payment during the training period before full-time wage. Mentions how challenging the shorthand and typing course was at the time, although once learnt never forgotten. [00:05:34] Comments on the job satisfaction had. Explains how the typing pool operated at the plant before getting the permanent placement in the blast furnaces. [section closed 00:06:19-00:06:40] Describes the variety of work in the typing pool; dictation, to copying of reports and figures to type out. Discusses salary and expenses and remarks Fiancé worked as fuel technologist also in steel works and were saving to buy a house. Comments on being in typing pool a year before getting full time job in blast furnace which she enjoyed. Describes the first experience in the works as interesting and mentions wolf whistles. Comments more relaxed atmosphere within the works compared with that of the head office, different dress code and operations and describes the atmosphere as being more family orientated. Describes office block sited underneath the blast furnaces and the number of typists who worked there. [00:15:22] Remarks on men out-numbering women which made work there fun. Story about donut dick and the camaraderie amongst staff. [00:16:27] Mentions weekly typing schedule which consisted of typing letters for the plant managers and creating a burden report, which was the record of outputted ore for the plant. [00:17:48] Describes progression within company ending up as secretary to the superintendent of the blast furnaces. Mentions supervision was minimal and accountable only to the superintendent and chief clerk. Mentions a degree of flexibility within role and gives examples. Mentions left in 1961to have a baby and was able to stay at home as husband had been promoted to chief engineer. [00:20:53] Describes met her husband in the steel industry and through the night school classes in the technical college and remarks that a few others met their husbands in this way. Mentions each department in the steel works had an annual dinner dance. [00:23:00] Comments that Christmas dinner dances were in favour in those days. Mentions there use to be Christmas parties for the employees’ children also. [00:23:59] Describes the atmosphere as the best part of working in the steel industry together with job satisfaction. Mentions influx of workers from Rotherham and Ravenscraig had detrimental effect on the atmosphere in work due to cutting back of staff. Comments that British steel was nicknamed Treasure Island at start however this happy atmosphere changed. [00:25:14] Mentions met occasionally with employees outside of work. Mentions the only downside to working in the plant was that clothes would smell of heavy industry. [00:27:15] Describes happy memories of growing up in Port Talbot with a community atmosphere from the church and the YMCA. Remarks on how felt safer in those days and attributes this to stricter rules on alcohol. Mentions noticed some changes within the town because of the Abbey works construction and identified the building of the Sandfields estate as one of these changes. 29:37Comments on how their family home in Ynys Street was demolished to make way for the motorway in circa 1947 and how this heralded the start of the town’s changes rather the steel industry. Mentions house was compulsory purchase and had to move to Grove place nearby also in Port Talbot. Describes family upset at having to move and recalls missing back lane where all the children use to play. Mentions five lived at Grove place in three rooms. Recalls move to Porthcawl was influenced by parents move to Bridgend. Remarks on were first to move into West Park estate Nottage, Porthcawl. Mentions had no lure to stay within Port Talbot and comments on stigma of moving to Porthcawl as aspirational. Mentions husband would commute to work using father’s old car. Remarks on her husband offered a job at Llanwern steel works, Newport although Port Talbot offered more to keep him and so stayed at Port Talbot works. Mentions logistics of husband on call with a pager and how it affected the family. [00:39:37] Mentions initially how she missed company of working colleagues but overcome this by becoming secretary for church. [00:40:33] Mentions joining trade union when at steel works under duress as didn’t believe in them. Mentions no female workers were that militant at that time but it was part of contract to join the union. Mentions experienced a strike in her working time there and recalls how needed to be in on a strike day to aid her boss with a report. Mentions understanding both management and workers part in the steel works due to husband working in the management side. |