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Actions	Interview with Joe Bloomberg, 1983 Remove from selection Add to selection TitleInterview with Joe Bloomberg, 1983 ReferenceTAPE/308 Date 14 Dec 1983 Production date 1983-12-14 - 1983-12-14 Scope and ContentJoe Bloomberg about his life in the docks. He talks about moving voluntarily from London to other ports, such as Salford, during WWII. He found in these other places there were different ways of working and even different ways of thinking. He describes "working to rule" in pursuance of a pay claim. That was after the war, when he was working at Rotherhithe. There were no real changes in working practices after the war, even with the new National Dock Labour Scheme. He mentions a dispute in Canada because the ship owners said they would no longer recognise the union, and the repercussions in the British docks. Another action they took was over asbestos. Joe and his fellow workers knew this was a dangerous substance to work with, whereas the employers and others said it was quite harmless. Joe felt sorry for the troops who were sent into the docks, as they had no option, but he did object to the students when they went in. The dockers always showed great solidarity with one another. That might be how they obtained a reputation for militancy. It was the under-managers who caused trouble, not the employers themselves. A digital recording of this tape is available to listen to at the library Extent1 cassette tape and 2 digital recordings Physical descriptionDuration: 1 hr. 30 min. LanguageEnglish Archival historyThe views and opinions expressed in the interview(s) are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Working Class Movement Library. The interview may contain attitudes and/or language that some people may find offensive and may contain discussions of events that some people may find distressing. Related object Looking back: a docker's life Persons keywordBloomberg, Joe, Deakin, Arthur SubjectOral history, Dock workers, World War Two (1939-1945), Disputes Conditions governing accessOpen Levelfile Normal locationZ (Room 24)

TitleInterview with Joe Bloomberg, 1983

ReferenceTAPE/308

Date

14 Dec 1983

Production date 1983-12-14 - 1983-12-14

Scope and ContentJoe Bloomberg about his life in the docks. He talks about moving voluntarily from London to other ports, such as Salford, during WWII. He found in these other places there were different ways of working and even different ways of thinking. He describes "working to rule" in pursuance of a pay claim. That was after the war, when he was working at Rotherhithe. There were no real changes in working practices after the war, even with the new National Dock Labour Scheme. He mentions a dispute in Canada because the ship owners said they would no longer recognise the union, and the repercussions in the British docks. Another action they took was over asbestos. Joe and his fellow workers knew this was a dangerous substance to work with, whereas the employers and others said it was quite harmless. Joe felt sorry for the troops who were sent into the docks, as they had no option, but he did object to the students when they went in. The dockers always showed great solidarity with one another. That might be how they obtained a reputation for militancy. It was the under-managers who caused trouble, not the employers themselves.
A digital recording of this tape is available to listen to at the library

Extent1 cassette tape and 2 digital recordings

Physical descriptionDuration: 1 hr. 30 min.

LanguageEnglish

Archival historyThe views and opinions expressed in the interview(s) are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the Working Class Movement Library.
The interview may contain attitudes and/or language that some people may find offensive and may contain discussions of events that some people may find distressing.

Related object

Looking back: a docker's life

Persons keywordBloomberg, Joe, Deakin, Arthur

SubjectOral history, Dock workers, World War Two (1939-1945), Disputes

Conditions governing accessOpen

Levelfile

Normal locationZ (Room 24)

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