Interview with Jimmy Cloughley

• Reference:GB 249 SOHC 33/6
• Dates of Creation:September 2016
• Language of Material:English
• Physical Description:
  1 digital audio file (duration 1hours 16 minutes 22 seconds)

• Scope and Content

  Recording of Jimmy Cloughley, an engineer from Govan, in conversation with Rory Stride in 2016. Cloughley did a marine engineer apprenticeship from 1955 to 1959 and worked as an engineer for Upper Clyde Shipbuilders from 1967 to 1975. He was an active trade union and Communist Party member.
  [00:00:01] Introductions
  [00:00:19] Talks about childhood, education, early career and working-class community
  [00:05:00] Talks about work as a marine engineer and skills gained
  [00:07:00] Talks about Labour’s Redundancy Payment Act
  [00:07:50] Talks about time at Upper Clyde Shipbuilders from 1975
  [00:10:20] Discussion about trade union involvement, Communist Party in the early 1960s, Amalgamated Engineering Union, Transport General Workers Union, benefits for workers, strike action
  [00:18:13] Discussion about merging of shipbuilding companies, Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, Fairfield experiment, closure of shipyards, ‘work in’ strike action, worker support, deindustrialisation of Govan
  [00:31:30] Talks about the impact of strike action and redundancy on workers
  [00:34:09] Talks about local politics in Govan, communist politics, workplace engagement with politics
  [00:39:23] Talks about changing attitudes to the Labour party from 1970s to 2016, Scottish Independence
  [00:42:32] Discussion about public attitudes towards trade unions, decline in membership from the 1990s, Jeremy Reid foundation
  [00:49:04] Talks about traits of masculinity and attitudes towards masculinity in Govan’s shipyards
  [00:51:52] Talks about attitudes towards women workers in shipyards
  [00:53:45] Talks about job security, redundancy and impact on workers
  [00:58:44] Talks about Govan in the 1970s
  [01:02:14] Talks about staff camaraderie and friendships
  [01:09:14] Discussion about the closure of shipbuilding in Govan and the impact on the area
  [01:13:51] Interview concludes

• Access Information

  No access restrictions.

• Conditions Governing Use

  Copyright: Scottish Oral History Centre, University of Strathclyde

• Additional Information

  published