| Description | Track 1[01:24:22][Session One: 5th September 2013] Dennis Spicer[DS], born 6th January 1931 in Port Talbot in his grandparent’s house about a mile away although when he was ten months old they moved to the house he is in now. Mentions his father was a steel worker at Port Talbot Steel and his mother didn’t work. Comments women didn’t work in those days. Describes location of Port Talbot Steel works where his father worked and how the owners Guest, Keen and Baldwins Iron and Steel company, went on to build the Abbey works. [00:01:27] Describes his dad’s job as a pitman in the melting shop which was well- paid [two shillings and six pence an hour], responsible for setting up moulds and describes this process. Mentions no continuous casting in those days but remarks that the bar mill where they made rails and girders, was big in those days. Comments his dad would earn more in a day than he would earn in a week due to bigger differences in pay scales. [00:03:11] Comments on how the death of his father curtailed any thoughts of going to secondary school. Mentions needing a job, any job to provide for the family: his widowed mum, ten-year-old brother and two year old sister [00:03:40] Describes work in the steel works as an office boy, involved taking out letters to the departments four times a day for seventeen shillings and six pence a week – eighty seven pence today. Remarks no overtime as was temporary staff and hours of work were nine until five although he had to work on to sort the mail and got home by six. Mentions worked Saturday mornings also. Mentions the only jobs were in the railways or the steelworks at that time. Mentions that most of the men in his family worked in the steel works including his grandfather and confirms it was a major employee in the town. [00:06:30] Mentions was promoted into the wages department at fifteen years old where activities included printing timecards, pay dockets, pay envelopes. [00:06:45] Describes his early career whereby he moved to the railways as a cleaner for more money and training in Slough to be a fireman before doing his National Service in Germany and subsequently returning to work labouring in the old Port Talbot melting shop in the steel industry, working on the ladles like his dad. [00:08:30] Mentions promoted to the metallurgy department in 1958. [00:08:51] Describes how the Abbey works was built, getting its name after the former cloister of an Abbey it was built on. Proudly describes moving to the melting shop at the Abbey to be a foreman after applying with six hundred plus people for only thirty three jobs. Remarks getting the foreman’s jobs as being one of his greatest achievements and mentions his money increased from fourteen to seventeen pounds. Describes the oxy- steel processes carried out in the new Very Low Nitrogen [VLN] plant, 1959. [00:11:46] Mentions he was a mould bay foreman and describes how the ingots were made. Describes casting technique improvements during his time as a mould bay foreman. Mentions 1960’s was a time of expansion: Bessemer converter in the Boss plant and a deep water harbour was to be constructed. [00:15:05] Mentions move to quarry foremen job in the Steel company quarry, Cornelly, to help build the deep-water harbour. Describes how the quarry was run and describes the continental shift system. [00:17:33] Mentions the challenging but enjoyable job looking after the quarry and working with explosives that his boss, Peter Mackay, promoted him to. [00:20:36] Mentions once harbour completed, becoming a foreman in the hot roll products. Describes the hot mills factory where the hot roll products were made, still being there today. Comments retirement ensued as too old to work on the new concast process in 1986. Reminisces that he worked in many departments in British Steel, all of which he enjoyed. [00:26:24] Described his grandfather and father’s experiences working in the steel industry. Comments grandfather worked in the steel works in Gowerton, moving from Pontypool and was integral to setting up the plant in Port Talbot. Mentions steel industry was the main employer in area. Mentions grandfather awarded an MBE for services to the steel industry by revolutionising the way the ingot was extracted out of the mould. [00:29:51] Comments that his grandfather received a pension from the steel industry which was rare and describes him as resourceful. [00:30:26] Describes basic conditions in steel work melting shop in the 1950’s: no canteen, no showers and no protective clothing. Mentions the toilets didn’t have doors! Describes there were no limits to a labourer’s job and gives an example of emptying pallets. Mentions supervision was minimal but work expectations were high and gaining a reputation as a good worker was important for progression in the works. [00:35:41] Described promotion and how unions would promote workers who had been there the longest. [00:36:50] Describes how working hard and longer would lead to improvement and gains in your job and gives example. Remarks on the work’s Health and safety policies being different and gives example of using eight tonnes of explosives in the quarry. Remarks on importance of money to him, more than job position and concludes that he had far better jobs than his education would have given him. [00:39:46] Describes an example of animosity to promotion in the works. Mentions fatal accident in melting shop. [00:42:48] Comments on technology increased over the years with manual jobs being replaced by automation. [00:45:21] Mentions many spoke Welsh in the works when he started but that was with the older generation and comments Welsh was more noticeable in the town also. [00:46:44] Remarks that steel workers were mainly Port Talbot locals however their fore-bearers were from away. [00:47:40] Describes changes to Port Talbot over the years, initially rural with sand dunes down to the sea. Comments on overtime at works and gives example of how attitude decided how much you earnt. Discussion on 1950’s and 60’s being nick-named “treasure island”. [00:51:55] Describes majority of town worked in steel works at the start and quotes seventeen thousand workers although this has become less. [00:52:31] Remarks on the role of sub-contractors in the plant. [00:53:09] Comments on having a good relationship with colleagues in work however remarks on some bosses with degrees being knowledgeable rather than intelligent. Mentions managers lived separate from workforce in Porthcawl. [00:55:55] * Remarks on hobbies and describes dragging at Cefn Sidan. Remarks not using the sports and social steel company club much as he didn’t drink, and it was mainly a focus for drinking. [00:58:07] Comments on people stealing from the plant. [01:01:00] Remarks on abuse of “clocking in” system. [01:03:36] Describes distinction between management and manual workers in 1940’s. Remarks on benefit of being a member of the Trade Union. Remarks on joining the staff branch of ISTC but not an active member and mentions not many workers attended meetings. [01:07:10] Describes strikes in the Steel works and gives example of bricklayers’ strike. Mentions black legging. [01:09:30] Remarks on the 1980 strike which was the result of the job cuts. Discussion the plant was over-manned in the 1980’s. [01:13:00] Remarks on Nationalisation in 1968, Steel Company of Wales became British Steel with changes being in name only. [01:15:33] Comments on biggest changes during career were the improvements in technology, starting with the plant and having telephone lines installed. Remarks on changing attitudes with the workforce now more integrated. [01:20:57] Mentions his one resentment was never being recognised for his years’ service at the steel industry on his retirement. Comments on the workforce being closer in his earlier days. |