Records of the Caterpillar Project at Caterpillar Tractors Ltd, Uddingston, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
- Reference:GB 248 UGD 269
- Dates of Creation:1987-1988
- Name of Creator:
- Physical Description:0.23 metresThere are no physical characteristics that affect the use of this material.
Scope and Content
- Audio tapes, some with transcripts, of meetings and news reports relating to the Caterpillar Tractors Ltd, Uddingston, occupation 1987-1988
Administrative / Biographical History
On 14 January 1987 news broke that Caterpillar (UK) Ltd , tractor manufacturers, Leicester, England, were intending to close their plant at Uddingston, North Lanarkshire, Scotland . The shop stewards at the plant immediately announced their decision to occupy the plant in protest and formed a Joint Occupation Committee. Their occupation lasted 103 days and work did not fully resume until 27 April 1987 , when an agreement was finally reached. The terms of the agreement included no compulsory redundancies until 16 October 1987 and an early retirement plan for those over 50. Nevertheless, the plant did close later in 1987 with the loss off over 600 jobs.
Throughout the occupation, Charles Woolfson (b1946), a lecturer in the department of Social & Economic Research at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and John Foster (b1947) documented the action through a series of audio tape recordings with the full permission of the Joint Occupation Committee. In 1988, they published a book based on the material.
Woolfson, Charles and Foster, John,Track Record: The Story of the Caterpillar Occupation ( London , 1988 )
Arrangement
The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received
Access Information
Open
Audio tapes UGD 269/1-103 currently undergoing digitisation as part of the NLS project, Unlocking Our Sound Heritage, Aug 2019.
Acquisition Information
Dr Charles Woolfson : Department of Social & Economic History, University of Glasgow : 1990, 1995 : ACCNs 0118, 0224
Other Finding Aids
Digital file level list available in searchroom
Alternative Form Available
No known copies
Conditions Governing Use
Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the University Archivist
Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use & condition of documents
Appraisal Information
This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 248 procedures
Custodial History
Received directly from creator
Accruals
None expected
Related Material
GB 248 UGD 180 BBC transcripts relating to the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders' work-in
GB 248 UGD 181 Records of Upper Clyde Shop Stewards Committee
Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance
Bibliography
Woolfson, Charles and Foster, John,Track Record: The Story of the Caterpillar Occupation(1988, London)
Additional Information
This material is original
Revised by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 4 December 2002
Subjects
Personal Names
Corporate Names
Geographical Names
Uddingston, Scotland