| Description | Track 1 [00:41.03] [Session one: 23rd October 2013] Francis Needs [FN] born in Neath Hospital, 9th April 1942. Mentions father worked in Burrows steel works in Aberavon (an independent works) and mother did not work. Mentions attending Sandfields school until fourteen years old. Mentions had to wait until fifteen years old to enter the steel works as a junior operative which involved working in the office. Comments at sixteen years old became an apprentice. Mentions money was main attraction for him to work in steel works as wages were good. Describes his junior operative duties, clocking cards, making tea. Mentions there was no formal training but learnt on the job. [0:03:05] Describes first time in Abbey works in 1957; seeing the mill rolling steel ingots into slabs and being finished off into coils as frightening due to the size of the machinery. Describes work progression onto the cranes. Mentions familiar atmosphere in the hot mills as many family members worked there; father, Uncle Garfield who worked as a finishing operator and Uncle Willy who was a schedule officer in the hot mills. Mentioned was more employable due to family working there. [00:06:35] Describes job as a crane driver at eighteen years old first in the slab yard then hot mill. Mentions thoroughly enjoyed driving the hundred-ton crane. Comments received one week training in the classroom before out working with the crane driver. Remarks on conditions as a crane driver: the heat in the summer, workings hours. [00:09:45] Mentions effect working nights for forty-three years had on his sleep. Comments on job opportunities within the works and outlines his promotion as a crane driver within the hot mill. Remarks on having to learn different skills for each crane and gives examples of a fast crane 10-ton crane not too high off ground and an 85 ton crane which was a massive piece of machinery. Describes downshift every week – this was when the mills were striped and re-built. Mentions crane drivers needed to be aware of the many dangers and hazards. [00:15:33-00:17:05, 00:20:17-00:21:39 closed]. Describes working practices and how signals by riggers were essential for crane drivers. Mentions immediate superior was a roller man. Mentions job involved constant rebuilding. Describes health and safety adaptations due to accidents and how over time helmets, high visibility bibs and jackets, safety boots have been introduced. Mentions a drawback of all the protective equipment was that it was cumbersome and comments although recognises safety equipment as good, in this case was over the top. Remarks unsure where health and safety improvements had any impact on the accidents in the plant and gives a story of a helmet melting on a guy’s head. Mentions enjoyed the camaraderie with fellow workers. Mentioned had fun in the early days but when he finished the atmosphere had changed. [00:25:11] Mentions changes came about during the 1990’s and when Scottish managers came into the works but remarks on there being some marvellous managers too. Describes a good manager as someone whose has familiarity with his staff whilst knowing how the section works. Describes that the style of management got stricter over the years to the point where no one liked working there. Mentions facilities available to the steel workers, good canteen. [00:30:37] Comments how automation coming in was the biggest change to the works and mentions the consequences of this automation as being a reduction in manpower. Mentions how the new mill was handling 30-ton slabs as opposed to 9-10 tonne previous. Mentions his job as a crane driver wasn’t threatened by automation and felt his job was safe however crane driver numbers were eventually reduced making his job more difficult. [00:33:38] Mentioned living with parents when he first started work in the new Sandfields estate. Describes the Sandfields neighbourhood as being a close-knit community compared with today and feels it has gone downhill. Remarks that majority of the Sandfields either worked in the steelworks or supported it and attributed the towns decline in later years, to that of the steelworks. [00:35:58] Describes spare time and recalls a story of the gym, built for him by his dad, at the bottom of the garden and would have friends join him. Comments that as people moved to area to work in the Abbey works this impeded the socialising outside of work as they tended to live outside of the Sandfields area. [00:37:38] Mentions was a member of BISAKTA [British Iron, Steel and Kindred Trades Association]. Remarks on unpleasant confrontation with fellow workers and police experienced at Gorseinon on the picket line in 1980 and the pleasure being back in work after it. |