The work-in began 40 years ago today..“We’re taking over the yards because we refuse to accept, that faceless men, or any group of men in Whitehall or anywhere else, can take decisions that devastate our livelihoods with impunity. They’re not on...The Shop Stewards on behalf of the workers are in control of this yard. Nobody and nothing will come in and nothing will go out without our permission” Jimmy Reid, John Brown's Shipyard 30/07/11
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0wSoRu-Sko
Following the death of Jimmy Reid BBC Radio Scotland repeated a programme about the work-in from 2002 - "Fighting and Winning: The Work-in At UCS". It is a blend of interviews with the leading figures from the work-in, as well arhive from the time and details from recently released cabinet papers.
A rat race is for rats. We're not rats. We're human beings. Reject the insidious pressures in society that would blunt your critical faculties to all that is happening around you, that would caution silence in the face of injustice, lest you jeopardise your chances of self-promotion and self-advancement. This is how it starts. And before you know where you are, you're a fully paid-up member of the rat pack. The price is too high. It entails the loss of your dignity and human spirit. The words of Jimmy Reid 39 years ago when he addressed Glasgow University. Today, several newspapers will print the speech in full - almost 40 years after the New York Times spotted its significance and reportedly printed it in full.
