One thought on “‘Women’s Stories of Ford Dagenham’ – Tell the Queens Theatre your story”

  1. Charles Lawrence (Prof.)

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    I do not usually respond to such things as this, but every time it is discussed it irritates. The whole affair has proved to be extremely good television, film etc., but it in no way relates to the actual event. At the time I was the engineering supervisor for the various white metal activities at the River Plant where these ladies worked and they were for the most part a group of women who were working to supplement to their families income – there were of course a few where this was not the case, but they were much like the Gerry-can workers that had plagued the earlier Briggs Motor Body plant and had exercised a similarly disproportionate power on workaday disputes.

    In this case it was actually part of an exceedingly cleaver ploy by the now Ford Motor Company to Break the stranglehold of the comparatively small skilled section of the workers to call strikes, for what some might consider trivial yet caused far ranging industrial disputes. This Ford did by driving wedges between them and the far greater main workforce. In this they were to prove incredibly successful and completely outmanoeuvred skilled unions. Ford achieved this by effectively deskilling the skilled workers by up-skilling the semi/non-skilled section – typically deeming all welders ‘skilled’ irrespective of former training. The main workforce of course greatly outnumber them, but now found themselves far better off, both financially and socially. It was brilliant and actually saved Ford a very great deal of money. This shattered the up until then universal agreements across all unions which had existed prior to that. However, crucially and stupidly (for overall it amounted to ‘peanuts’) Ford had not up-skilled the ladies in the seat cover section, even though every car needed seats and for goodness knows what reasoning Ford decided to take them on. The huge semi/non-skilled had now got what they wanted and so there was every good reason to support those women, since it reinforced their position and so far from being the ladies being a pioneering minority these women had wide and powerful support.

    I know this does not accord with your romantic image, but that is how it came about and to perpetuate the myth and financial implications I am sure you will ignore this communication, but I feel better!

    Yours truly,

    Charles

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