CLYDEBANK was described as a “town in mourning” after the events of July 29, 1971, when thousands of shipyard workers from across the Upper Clyde were told they would lose their jobs.
Edward Heath’s Tory government had been determined not to prop up what they called “lame duck” industries and wanted to stop funding the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS), which was a consortium of shipyards at Govan, Scotstoun and Linthouse. This meant at least 6000 of the 8500 shipyard workers employed by the yards would have to be made redundant.
Instead of striking, and to show they were not work-shy, shipyard workers decided to demonstrate the viability of the business by a work-in which saw employees continue to manage and operate the yards until the government changed its policy. The cause was backed by Billy Connolly and John Lennon and received huge media attention, not least because of the very quotable workers committee leader, the late Jimmy Reid.
He famously told the workforce: “There will be no hooliganism. There will be no vandalism. And there will be no bevvying – because the world is watching us.”
READ MORE: Clyde shipbuilders work-in was caused by Tory incompetence
Women made up around 5% of the Upper Clyde workers but their history is far less well known. Yes! Yes! UCS, a new musical play written by Neil Gore, aims to tell the untold female stories at the heart of the work-in.
Based on verbatim interviews with female shipyard workers, the Townsend Theatre Productions show takes the form of a two-handed, two-hour narrative with songs, presented by two young women – Janie Thomson and Heather Gourdie – playing young female office workers in the yards.
It follows Aggie, who moves from the stock room to become a shop-steward, and Eddy, who will leave her job as a tracer at the yard to go to art school and – following the death of her asbestos-affected father – will campaign for workers’ compensation.
Women worked as tracers in the drawings department, telephonists in the communications office, secretaries in the management office, canteen staff and cleaners. But women at home also played a role, actively supporting their husbands, partners and families – and often made up a large proportion of those taking part in the numerous marches during the work-in, joining rallies, often for the first time in their lives, in the fight to save jobs.
With the actors barely older than their characters, director and producer Louise Townsend made sure she picked people who had done their research during the auditions stage.
“There’s a lot of politics in the play so we had to understand it and have empathy for it as it’s real people’s stories,” Gourdie, who plays Eddy, told the Sunday National. “Both me and Janie did a lot of research. You are not taught about this in school. It shows how trade unions can fight the good fight and win. We watched lots of Jimmy Reid speeches and interviews.”
An arts and humanities research grant from Manchester University allowed the production team to interview former shipyard workers from all over the UK, not just Clydebank. They spoke to people from Wearside, Belfast and Appledore, north Devon, to hear first-hand memories of work and the impact on communities of large industrial decline and closure. The show started its UK tour in February, and has already been to London, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle – as well as Dalbeattie and Irvine in Scotland.
READ MORE: How government inaction led to a Clyde shipyard work-in to save jobs
Gourdie says the Clydebank performance at the Golden Friendship Community Hall, barely a mile from where John Brown’s shipyard once stood, was the most significant.
She added: “We had to be very knowledgeable on it as we speak to people after the show and have discussions with them. At Clydebank we chatted to Linda Hamill [who worked at the Upper Clyde at the time of the work-in]. She fought for rights to work and showed other women they can work too. As a woman it’s nice to see where your roots are.”
Gourdie went on: “Different areas have different vibes, especially for this show. It’s a challenge every night as we go to different constituencies like ones who vote Tory. The audience in London were young and it’s good to educate people my age.”
The songs are a mix of contemporary political classics – including Alex Harvey’s Hammer Song and Jimmie Macgregor’s Pack Your Tools And Go – and new songs by Gore and other contemporary writers, with musician Beth Porter. The play also includes original animations and historic film footage – by Scarlett Rickard and Jonny Halifax – that constantly link the workers’ story to the wider political events of the time.
“There’s animation by Johnny Halifax which is visually engaging and helps people understand elements of a compelling story,” Gourdie says. “A lot of history is told factually through books but it’s not just facts, it’s humans. My character speaks about family and health issues because of her job. It’s real humans that really fought for this – you learn about history but from such a human story.”
The work-in forced one of the biggest U-turns in the history of government economic policy, with Heath finally relenting in February 1972 and announcing a £35 million injection of cash into the yards. Within three years, shipbuilding on the Upper Clyde had received about £101m of public grants and credits, with £20m going to the UCS.
But as the UK enters a cost-of-living crisis due to rising costs of energy and food, and a Conservative Government that has done little to help, Gourdie says the story still resonates today.
“We say lines and speeches that resonate so much 50 years later,” she said. “Every scene that we did is like something right now. It’s about ordinary people taking decisions into their own hands. We have a voice and if enough of us fight and bring up problems and discuss them something can be done.”
Yes! Yes! UCS! by Townsend Theatre Productions is touring the UK until May 1, appearing in Rutherglen’s St Columkill’s Hall on April 23; Birnam Arts Centre on April 26 and North Edinburgh Arts on April 27
Visit www.townsendproductions.org.uk for more information
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