THE jobs blow that hit the Lanarkshire steelworks yesterday brings to mind another industrial crisis from Scotland’s past.
In June 1969 the future of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders was at stake when the company’s boss Anthomny Hepper told the Government the yard needed another £3million in aid – on top of £9m it had already been given – or else
it would be forced to go into liquidation.
Technology Minister Tony Benn met Scottish MPs to discuss the crisis and workers at the yard held a mass meeting, above, to find out the latest details and air their views.
UCS, a consortium that had been created in 1968 as a result of the amalgamation of five major Clyde shipbuilders, managed to survive this crisis.
However, two years later the company was forced to go into liquidation, despite the yards having a full order book.
That led to the famous “work-in” and in 1972 the Government stepped in and restructured the yards to
save jobs.
The only two shipbuilding yards now left on the Clyde
are Scotstoun and Govan, owned by BAE Systems.
Bruce Springsteen had a hit with the song Darkness On The Edge Of Town but it was his fans who were in the dark as they tried to get to him when The Boss played Glasgow’s SECC in April 1993
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