In the Shadow of Elisabeth: a History of the Battle for Bilston Iron and Steelworks, C
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
In the Shadow of Elisabeth: A history of the battle for Bilston Iron and Steelworks, c. 1967-1980 Greig Campbell, BA (Hons), MA A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 2020 This work or any part thereof has not previously been presented in any form to the University or to any other body whether for the purposes of assessment, publication or for any other purpose. Save for any express acknowledgements, references and/or bibliographies cited in the work, I confirm that the intellectual content of the work is the result of my own efforts and of no other person. The right of Greig Campbell to be identified as author of this work is asserted in accordance with ss.77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. As of this date copyright is owned by the author. Signature: Date: Abstract In July 1981, the last sections of the state-owned Bilston steelworks were unceremoniously shut, thus ending two centuries of hot metal production in the Black Country, the onetime workshop of the world. The devastating closure of this profitable facility occurred despite a decade-long grassroots defence campaign spearheaded by local rank and file workers. Using previously unexplored primary source material and oral testimony, this thesis provides a detailed analysis of the battle to save Bilston works. It explores how, in the midst of the 1970s steel crisis, an exceptionally diligent type of worker activist adapted traditional production practices to ensure the survival of the plant. With Bilston’s steelmen maintaining their uniquely profitable record, bungling industry officials conspired to marginalise their plant in order to justify a deeply flawed state-sponsored rationalisation programme. At the heart of this process were the activities of a senior and divisional management team who systematically rationalised the Bilston facility, whilst seeking to cynically undermine shop-floor solidarity. The thesis, therefore, highlights the ways in which management prerogative impacted the lives of steelworkers and their families. The work critically examines the actions of a small band of shop stewards who mobilised into a multi-union local action committee tasked with saving 2,300 jobs. A key focus here is their chosen strategic framework. As experienced activists, they initially recruited a cross-party coalition of political figures to convince sympathetic policymakers to absorb the facility into a medium-term operating plan. With the `2 unfolding crisis prompting a less forgiving political landscape, Bilston’s enterprising shop stewards made a tactical transition, engaging in concerted collective direct action to persuade conservative union leaders to petition decisionmakers on their behalf. The thesis offers a critique of institutional behaviour, revealing how both the state and moderate steel unions undermined Bilston by repeatedly acquiescing to management prerogative. Abandoned by union and Government bureaucrats, the campaign eventually crumbled from within. The research identifies the ways in which ambivalent officials merely sat idly by as management undermined a profitable state concern before insidiously harassing its conscientious employees. The thesis concludes with an account of the legacy of the battle for Bilston works, demonstrating how redundant steelmen, politicised by their experiences, played essential roles in the post-industrial social, cultural and political culture of the town. `3 Contents Acknowledgements p. 7 Acronyms p. 8 Introduction p. 12 - Methodology p. 21 - Structure p. 25 Chapter 1: Steel and history: a critical review of the literature p. 34 - Labour History p. 34 - The Historiography of Steel p. 42 - The Historiography of the Black Country p. 52 Chapter 2: The Making of a Steel Town p. 67 - Steel and State: a Brief History p. 68 - A History of Steelmaking in Bilston p. 73 - The Trade Union Landscape of Steel p. 86 - Uncertain Loyalty: unionism at Bilston in historical perspective p. 99 - The Politics of Steel at Bilston p. 111 Chapter 3: The Managed Decline of Bilston Steelworks p. 117 - BSC: The Early Years p. 118 - A Better Tomorrow? p. 129 `4 - The Marginalisation of Bilston p. 141 - Preliminary Trade Union Responses to Rationalisation p. 151 - The Origins of the BJUAC p. 164 Chapter 4: The Mothballing of Elisabeth p. 191 - The World Steel Crisis p. 192 - Tempering the Truth p. 203 - A Temporary Respite p. 209 - A Fait Accompli p. 218 - The BJUAC Returns p. 224 Chapter 5: The Road to Scarborough p. 238 - Electric Dreams p. 239 - The Road to Viability p. 244 - Approaching the TUCSICC p. 255 - The Loss of Shelton p. 269 - The Bonfire of all Conventions p. 277 Chapter 6: Bottom Blown Steelmaking p. 287 - A Missed Opportunity p. 288 - Remodelling the Defence Campaign p. 294 - The Delay Paper p. 306 - The Corporation Strikes Back p. 312 Chapter 7: Hot Words, Cold Actions p. 321 `5 - The Plant Takeover p. 321 - “I Move Bill, Will You Second?” p. 328 - The Sirs Plan p. 337 - Dismissing the JURUE Report p. 350 - The Writing on the Wall p. 357 Chapter 8: Post-steel Bilston p. 372 - A New Threat p. 373 - Saving the Big Five p. 379 - A Campaign too Far p. 389 - The SWWC p. 396 - The Politics of Dennis Turner p. 413 Conclusion: p. 423 - The Battle for Bilston in Retrospect p. 423 - In the Shadow of Elisabeth and Workers’ Mobilisation Literature p. 441 - The Significance of In the Shadow of Elisabeth p. 451 Bibliography p. 457 `6 Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor, Professor Keith Gildart, who guided and encouraged me to stay on track even when the track got tough. Without his reassurance, this thesis would never have been realised. The logistical and financial assistance provided by the University of Wolverhampton’s Centre for Historical Research is also appreciated. Likewise, I am indebted to volunteers at Bilston Community Centre, a vital community hub that provided a base from which I delivered a heritage project that was the forerunner to this thesis. On a personal level, I’d like to acknowledge the support of my family: my mother, Patricia; my father, Steve; and, of course, my partner, Frances. You kept me going in the darkest of days, of which there were many. Last but not least, to the steelmen of Bilston, I wish to recognise the invaluable assistance you provided over the past several years. Although not all of your testimonies feature on the ensuing pages, your recollections and informal inputs underpin much of the text. I’d like to single out the local legend that was Johnny Bolton who, like so many contributors, passed away before the work was completed. The former furnace hand’s untimely death affected me deeply, though I will always treasure the hours spent reminiscing in the former works social centre, washing down traditional Black Country fayre with copious pints of the ‘dark stuff’. Industria et Lahore Edurat Re Bilstonia `7 Acronyms ADC Annual Delegate Conference AISWGB Associated Iron and Steel Workers of Great Britain AOP Annual Operating Plan AUEW Amalgamated Union of Engineering Works BAME Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic BBC British Broadcasting Corporation BCA Bilston Community Association BCC Bilston Community College BISAKTA British Iron, Steel and Kindred Association BISF British Iron and Steel Federation BISPA British Iron and Steel Producers Association BITA British Iron Trade Association BJUAC (or action committee) Bilston Joint Union Action Committee BMA British Mining Association BOS Basic Oxygen Steelmaking BSC (or Corporation) British Steel Corporation BWB Bilston, Wolverhampton and Birchley CBI Confederation of British Industry CLP Constituency Labour Party CNC Central Negotiating Committee CPGB Communist Party of Great Britain `8 CSEU Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions DTI Department of Trade and Industry EC (or Executive) Executive Council ETU Electrical Trades Union FBU Fire Brigade Union GMWU General and Municipal Workers Union GWW Guaranteed Working Week HLF Heritage Lottery Funded ILP Independent Labour Party ISB Iron and Steel Board ISTC (or Confederation) Iron and Steel Trades Confederation ITSOE In the Shadow of Elisabeth IWP Indian Workers Party JAPAC Joint Accident Prevention Advisory Committee JCC Joint Consultative Committee JPC Joint Planning Committee JSC Joint Steering Committee JURUE Joint Unit for Research on the Urban Environment JWP Joint Working Party MRC Modern Record Centre MSC Manpower Services Commission NAC National Action Committee `9 NACRO National Association for the Care of Offenders NCB National Coal Board NCCC National Craftsmen Coordinating Committee NEC National Executive Council NJAC National Joint Advisory Council NSTS New Springvale Training Scheme NUB National Union of Blastfurnacemen Ore Miners, Coke Workers and Kindred Trades OH Open Hearth (furnace) PAYE Pay as You Earn PLP Parliamentary Labour Party Q-BOP bottom blown oxygen ROSAC Retention of Steelmaking at Corby S&L Stewarts and Lloyds S&TP Stocksbridge & Tinsley Park SCLV Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory SCNI Select Committee on Nationalised Industries SIMA (or Association) Steel Industry Management Association SISI Staffordshire Iron and Steel Institute SWP Socialist Workers Party TGWU Transport and General Workers Union t/p/a tonnes per annum TUCSICC (or Steel Committee) Trade Union Congress Steel and Iron Consultative Committee `10 UCATT Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians UPW Union of Post Office Workers