| Description | Track 1 [0:53:13] [Session one: 27th August 2013] Robert Leonard, born in Lister, Canada, where his parents and grandparents were born. Mentions going to public school but is unclear about the exams sat. Remarks that the Canadian military and the War [WW2] was the reason he came to Port Talbot and mentions meeting his wife during this time. [00:01:36] Mentions starting work at the steel works in 1976/77. Mentions before employed at British Steel, worked in the building trade in the Swansea, Neath & Port Talbot areas but hard times there made him seek out work in the steel industry. Comments unsure about whether it was an attractive prospect it was just a job. Mentions it was a time of mass redundancy and was lucky to get it. Mentions his first job was an analytical chemist in the Steel works and describes it; sampling the quality of all the ore, coal and sand. [0:04:00] Describes why sand from the beach was analysed and how that was used in the steel making process. [0:04:30] Describes getting the job through knowing the chief chemist and remarks that many family members were employed on the recommendation of other family members already working there. Mentions his wife worked in the office. Describes his job in more detail and mentions gaining experience on the job. Mentions the pay was basic and comments that different wages rates through the company with higher rates of pay for the men working in hot metal. Remarks that no resentment amongst workers in the different rates of pay throughout the works. Describes the working conditions: up to standard for the day and comments that standards have since improved, which he attributes to the introduction of the Health & Safety Act. People had a job and they did it they didn’t think about the conditions of the job and they accepted them. Mentions most people were grateful to have a job and describes the different areas of the plant and their conditions: the sinter plant as an example of a horrid working environment where you were covered in red dust and the coke ovens which were a dirty, smelly place. Mentions the unions would oversee that the conditions were adequate. Comments on the day- to-day working patterns and explains that he moved roles within the company after six months from analytical chemist to office worker to do administration. Mentions promotion was available but only in some parts of the works. Comments on the unions’ part in any promotion whereby they would negotiate with management. Mentions rules to abide to and gives example. Comments on Unions had different branches within the works; electricians, mechanical unions. Mentions that each union had a representative on the Consultative Committee and were paid to sit in the factory and sort problems out. Remarks the Consultative Committee was made up all trade union representatives. [0:13:20] Described what his office job entailed: booking men’s holidays, seeing to their times, buying and ordering materials for the department, letters, meeting the reps, whatever was necessary. Mentions he was fortunate to have a manager who left him to his own devices, happy as long as everything was running correct. Comments that this was not company policy. [0:15:20 ]Mentions retired at day before sixty-fifth birthday after having three months’ notice [in 1988]. Mentions five years later was invited back to work part time to show visitors around the works which he did for ten years. Mentions being content in his office job and the relationship he had with his boss. Mentions job was full everyday – never completed everything always stuff to do the next day. Mentions fixed hours of work 9-4:45 but involved some overtime. [0:18:50] Remarks on accidents in factory as he was involved in making out the reports and comments that insurance assessors would consult him for details of accidents. Mentions he was responsible for the accounting of accidents in the continuous casting department, of which there were few. Mentions the shift manager or safety officer was required to photograph accidents for insurance claims and goes onto say every accident had a claim. [0:21:07] Mentions although living in Port Talbot, he drove to work by car. Mentions clocking in not compulsory for office workers however it was for plant workers. Mentions his job involved checking with the timekeeper as to a person’s clocking in time and comments that no one was allowed to touch a man’s clock card. Story of how people could fiddle the clocking in cards and comments that the new clocking in system brought in was meant to stop this. Describes tolerance of men leaving early because of the conditions of their job and timekeepers were employed to watch over these nuances.[00:26: 44] Mentions that neighbours near him didn’t necessarily work in steel but agreed that the Sandfields mainly housed steel workers. [00:27:33] Describes changes over the decades in the steel works: for example, the change from the slabbing mill to continuous casting and remarks the technical change was tremendous. Comments on packaging factory making beer cans so thin and machinery producing them being so fast. Story of progress: with the cold mill, historically employing two hundred people with turnover time being three weeks compared with today through the Capel line now with only twenty three people, taking eight minutes. Comments that introduction of this new technology made workers’ lives easier as they are now managing the plant off a digital screen however fewer people are needed to operate it. Remarks when redundancies had to be made unions were heavily involved and length of service and seniority were key factors involved in this decision plus a man’s attendance and sick records. Mentions the works and the unions would jointly decide who was to be made redundant. Mentions being part of the ISTC- Staff branch and was elected as branch president. Mentions this would involve defending people with high rates of absences during tribunals in this role as branch president. [00:36:00] Remembers the main ISTC strike in 1980 which lasted three months and describes his involvement and being sent back into work by the unions to get pay for some of the union members . Mentions this picket line breach came with no animosity as he was given authority to go through for the union. Mentions it was to their advantage to get money for some of those probably on the picket line. Remarks he could not remember the reason for the strike. Comments if the unions called a strike everyone was out. Comments on the debatable success of the strike and focusses on the massive redundancies that took place after. [00:40:00] Mentions strike was organised on a National level -UK wide but locally unions would choose certain members for picket line duty [00:41:18] Relationship between management and employees was dependant on personalities of both and recognises some were hard characters to get on with. Mentions historically it was possible for local people to become managers, working their way up from the bottom but that has changed today. [section closed 00:43:06-00:44:04]. Mentions there was more job security in his day and remarks that your title was temporary for first year and then made permanent. Remarks these changes started when the company changed from British steel to Corus. Mentions today Tata steel manages the company more rigidly [00:47:35] Comments on how the relationship between the trade union leaders was good although some leaders were more popular than others, causing animosity at times. Remarks that when it came down to job cuts and promotions, the unions might not be totally integrated in their thoughts as trade unions tended to look after their own and not have a say in dealings with other unions. [00:49:54] Mentions that some unions were more popular than others and hints that if members were content then they were less likely to be reactive as was the case with the ISTC staff branch. Fondly describes his working relationships during his time at British Steel, recalling a story involving a mistaken identity and concludes most relationships within the office were positive as he directly influenced their holiday pay. |