This meeting commemorates a remarkable working class victory which offers lessons for today’s labour movement. The strategy of the shop stewards leading the work-in succeeded in stopping the government, which was the ultimate owner of the four yards, from orchestrating their closure. They did so by seeing off attempts by the right wing in the trade union movement to take over the leadership of the workers’ campaign and building a wider regional alliance around the demand for the ‘right to work’. They inflicted a major defeat on the Government of the day, ensured their original demand of keeping the four yards open was met in full, and forced a wider U-turn in government policy.
This dispute sparked over a hundred work-ins throughout Britain and gained worldwide support.
Speakers include: Mary Senior STUC President, Davie Torrance Staff side chair at Fairfields Govan yard, Professor John Foster Co-author of the book “The Politics of the UCS Work-In”. Chaired by Janet Cassidy, Clydebank TUC & RMT
When: Wednesday 10th March at 7.00pm
Register: You can register for the event at eventbrite. Zoom joining details will be emailed a couple of days in advance, to those who register.