their lack of modern technology and their siting, were a major target. Chief among these were Upper Clyde Shipyards, a 1968 to ward off foreign elected LICY withdrew their support for the company which declared itself bankrupt 8,500 shipyard WULACIS redundant and threatening the jobs of 20,000 other workers.
That's how the famous UCS 'work-in' began in defence of jobs. It received enormous support the British working class: over half a million pounds was collected and 80,000 demonstrated in the streets of Glasgow in their support.
Two years later however the yards had been soll up redundancies. Those still employed in the Marathon and Govan Yards had to lorsake many urdue umon rights and ensure vastly increased productivity. Lessons UCS, what lessons can be learnt for Linwood?
First, the occupation of the yards undoubtedlv inspired enormous support from every section of Britain.
One in eight without OFFICIAL unemployment figures for January 1981 show 286,000 unemployed - more than one in 8 of Scotland's working population. These figures don't include 70,000 others on government 'employment' schemes.
tunities programmes and 40,000 workers in Scotland are receiving short-time working. The figures do not include the many unemployed women who are not registered as unemployed.
Investment surveys get worse. The Talbot Linwood closure could involve up to 10,000 redundancies in the West of Scotland. is threatened and up to 3,000 miners may face the sack from the Coal Board's pit closures.
The most important cupat: or =::: 20,000 young people are on Youth Opporcompensation for suggest things will British Steel's Ravenscraig mill refused allow such a moreme. Restraint urging restraint while support is built up from the CBI, and local authorities. Jimlily Livingstone, the Transport union convenor, has promised full co-operation the company as it goes on tive-dav week for the last three months.
The STUC is concentrating urging Tories :0 force Japanese car manu:asurersio come and peraise Penged: Citroen.
Lester trom UCS jobs.
em hey should be linked campaign to bring Jown the Tories and nationalise the industry. Greenock women vote to occupy