Why did the steel works go under?

[trastrick 866]

I'm sure you're correct in some cases.

But as a young school leaver i watched day in and day out 4 men stand idly by whilst they waited for

a slinger then a crane driver then a labourer to sweep the floors then a second slinger to unhook the moulds.

if it took 20 minutes or 2 hours they sat on their hands until it was done.

Then they had to wait for that job to be done for the same guys to come back to set up the next job of the day.

 

There was nothing wrong with the guys they were all great people just "working to union rule".

 

These days most people can drive a forklift and anyone can pick up a brush.

The steel works in question and still exists as a profitable entity on automated production, all the labourers, moulders, patternmakers and union men are gone.

 

That "work to rule" was imposed by the union bosses, not the workers (with the exception of a few opportunistic militants) Another nail in the coffin of pride in one's work, efficiency and teamwork. It killed incentive, respect for one's bosses (now the "enemy")

 

When I started, we could borrow tools, use the machine shops, drills, saws and welders, even small presses, blacksmiths shops, fabricate steel frames for our cable and switch gear. To this day, I'm still proud of the skills they taught me.

 

Then, around 1957, almost overnight, we were forbidden to touch anything outside of our strict job description. We just had to wait endlessly until someone got around to doing it for us, after 3 levels of requests were processed.

 

If it sounds familiar, that's how it was behind the Iron Curtain, which was the model of the times.

Edited December 21, 2013 by trastrick

[*Belle* 10]

Minimum wage for foundry worker in India 2013 - 2014:

 

Highly skilled: £2.70p per day

Unskilled: £1.75p per day

 

Go figure.

[flyer 10]

trastrick is 100% right its now easy to put all the blame on Thacher instead of looking inward

[truman 10]

That "work to rule" was imposed by the union bosses, not the workers (with the exception of a few opportunistic militants) Another nail in the coffin of pride in one's work, efficiency and teamwork. It killed incentive, respect for one's bosses (now the "enemy")

 

When I started, we could borrow tools, use the machine shops, drills, saws and welders, even small presses, blacksmiths shops, fabricate steel frames for our cable and switch gear. To this day, I'm still proud of the skills they taught me.

 

Then, around 1957, almost overnight, we were forbidden to touch anything outside of our strict job description. We just had to wait endlessly until someone got around to doing it for us, after 3 levels of requests were processed.

 

If it sounds familiar, that's how it was behind the Iron Curtain, which was the model of the times.

 

I've not worked in the steel works but demarcation happened all over the place...I was installing some large computer systems at the BBC some while ago..the machines were too big to go through a door so I got my tools out and stated to take the door off the frame...one of the BBC guys I was working with went a funny colour and said we'd have to wait for a joiner to come and do that...4 hours we waited for someone to eventually turn up..I could have had the whole thing done and dusted in 15 minutes...

[cookingfat50 10]

steel could be bought from kores, china, hong kng most Asian countries that's why if you buy viners cutlery it's not stamped viners of Sheffield but made in korea nothings made in this country any more because it as the name stamped on it doesn't mean ir's the same quality as the the real thing. that's why we have no steel industry left it's all made abroad

[Gordonb 11]

When I visit Sheffield I see vast areas of once productive factories now all gone replaced with Retail outlets and Warehousing for imported goods.

Even looking at companies still operating we can see those companies now bought out and run from overseas investers , who can claim our expertise and at a whim close down a factory and produce the products in a country with lower overheads.

There are companies owned by Finland, Japan, India, USA predominent in control of major steel makers, but the prominent medium sized engineering producers of products such as tools and cutlery, have long since disappeared sold out to cheap imports.

Our Government could have stopped this rot by stipulating the tender of only British companies for major contracts of which the taxpayer has contributed,

but has sold us 'down the river' This would have catalysed growth and helped a return to manufacturing strength, which this country needs to pay its bills.

 

Gary Marshman

North Wales

 

Unfortunately it is illegal to stipulate British only tenders for major projects over a certain value as prescribed within the EU rules.

[flyer 10]

Unfortunately it is illegal to stipulate British only tenders for major projects over a certain value as prescribed within the EU rules.

 

thats not so bad when all have the same standard of living but to try and compete with way sub standard is a little hard as we in Canada are finding out trying to compete with almost slave workers in the south,and with most of the greedy corp's having no quarms about cutting your neck for 10cents(I.E Heinz &Kellogs)

[trastrick 866]

As for Maggie Thatcher, the great satan, she was way ahead of the Greens in wanting those dirty fossil fuel coal mines shut down.

 

Think they'll give her a posthumous award?

[Hampson 10]

yes you are right we are going going down the hole I Live in Ontario and dont forget Stelco parts of it as gone and westernhouse gone seimens gone and all the steel plants on Burlington ST in Hamilton all gone yes we are going the same way

[flyer 10]

yes you are right we are going going down the hole I Live in Ontario and dont forget Stelco parts of it as gone and westernhouse gone seimens gone and all the steel plants on Burlington ST in Hamilton all gone yes we are going the same way

 

Is it only me but does anyone feel we're being taken for a ride here,In Canada we blamed it all on Mulrony selling us out for a life time paycheck from America Express ,In England ,its all maggies fault I get the strong feeling all the major Greedy's of this world all got together and hatched a plan to screw the poor just to much of a coincident it all came about at the same time:suspect::suspect:

[handypandy 14]

Back in the late 70's - early 80's, the company that I worked for at the time were getting many orders for the de-commissioning of plant, ready to be crated up and sent to India. The writing was clearly on the wall.

 

 

 

.

[trastrick 866]

Back in the late 70's - early 80's, the company that I worked for at the time were getting many orders for the de-commissioning of plant, ready to be crated up and sent to India. The writing was clearly on the wall.

.

 

The writing was indeed on the wall. In many ways.

 

When Steelo's built their first (and last) new mill at Templeborough, the whole thing was designed in Sweden.

 

The Project Manager was also the designer, a nice chap named Gunnar Nordstrom. He would come by almost every day and ask us mere peasants how thing were going.

 

Quite a change, I'd say, because we had never even met the owners of our small contracting company!

Edited December 27, 2013 by trastrick