Scottish shipyard men in London protest

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32635, 17 June 1971, Page 11

Scottish shipyard men in London protest

<N.J.r.A.-touter—Copyright) LONDON, June 16. Hundreds of Scottish shipyard workers descended on Westminster today in a last-ditch effort to save their employers, the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders group, which is f2Bm in debt.

One <rf Britain’s largest consortiums, U.C.S. applied to the Government for a life-saving injection of about £sm or £6m capital, but this was refused, and the company has announced that it has no choice but to go into liquidation. The Government has promised to pay the U.C.S. workers’ wages next week, and to aalvage those of the group's activities worth saving. More than 400 of the 7500 men employed by U.C.S., which built the three luxury Queen liners for Cunard, boarded a train for London last night Kilted pipers sent them on their way, and, as the train left the station, the men sang the Internationale and raised their hands in a clenched-flst salute. One of a group of union officials on the tram said that they had cabled the Prim* Minister (Mr Heath) asking for an interview, but had received no reply. In a reference to Mr Heath's meeting earlier this year with the American magnate, Mr Henry Ford, when the British Ford Company was beset by labour problems, one shop steward said today: “If Mr Heath can meet American millionaire*) he can meet the cream of the British working-class. We wiil meet him whether he likes it or not. If he Has an appointment, let him cancel

The provost of Clydebank (Mr Robert Fleming) will fly to London later today to join the men in their demonstrations.

Orders worth £9om U.C-S. has not got Into trouble because of lack of work—it has orders worth £9om on its book*. Wage rises, strikes and rising costs are blamed for its financial dilemma.

At a meeting of Young Conservatives in London last night, Mr Heath Mid that his party knew there would be such problems when they came into office last year. "We can be a prosperous and self-respecting nation only if we ran our affairs properly,” he said. "In the case of U.C.S.. the job of the Government is to bring about a reconstruction of that firm."

Common* storm

Earlier in the day, during a stormy House of Commons debate, Opposition Labour members had yelled "Resign” as the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Mr John Davies) was explaining why the Government would, not pour more of the taxpayers' money into shipyards which had already received £2om in State aid from the previous Labour Administration.

Uproar broke out at one point in the debate. Labour M.P.s shouting: "Outl Out!" at Cabinet Ministers when Government members accused the chief Opposition spokesman, Mr Anthony Wedgwood Benn, of being the person who should be censured over the affair. Mr Benn was Minister of Technology when a number

of ailing Scottish shipbuilding firms were merged three years ago into the U.C.S., the Govemmentholding 48.4 per cent of the capital. One of the yards involved, John Brown’s, now generally considered the weakest in the group, built the Queen Mary and the two Queen Elizabeth liners. Govt promise Emphasising the Government's promise to help to salvage viable parts of U.C.S., Mr Davies told M.P.S that throe prominent businessmen would aid the orderly reorganisation and reconstruction of the group. They included the shipbuilder, Sir Alexander Glen.

Mr Benn, who favours nationalisation as the best

solution to the group's cash crisis, sharply commented that it was difficult to understand the Government’s willingness to spend millions of pounds to support French farmers in the Common Market while denying the money necessary to keep 27,000 Scottish workers in jobs.

An Opposition censure move on the Government's decision not to help the shipbuilders was defeated by 288 votes to 261.

The vote came only a few hours after the company's provisional liquidator, Mr Robert Smith, had disclosed that creditors were owed £2Bm, and that the consortium’s resources were hopelessly inadequate, assets being estimated at between £2 and £3m.