TitleInvisible Histories project interview: Ward and Goldstone - Jack Smith
ReferenceSUBJ/INVHIST/1/IH013
Date
31 Jan 2013
CreatorDean, Lois
Production date 2013-01-31 - 2013-01-31
Scope and ContentAudio file and summary (Word file) of interview with Jack Smith, ex-employee of Ward and Goldstone.
Jack Smith worked for Ward and Goldstone’s, and their subsidiary company Salford Plastics, from the early 1950s to 1987. He started at age 15 working for a company that got taken over by Ward and Goldstone, and in the early stage of the interview talks about the different jobs he had, the processes and machinery involved and his work in maintenance. Health and safety shortfalls are spoken of, with the workers taking all kinds of risks, and some accidents such as an Extruder and a mixer causing dangerous fumes to be released, forcing evacuation.
Jack mentions the workforce and details some of the ‘characters’ that he remembers from his time there, like Abdul Qaida who had tax problems, ‘Don’ from Lithuania who got burnt badly and 3 drunken maintenance workers. He also mentions stray cats, birds and other animals like rabbits, some of which ended up dead around the factory.
Unions, strikes and pickets are also referred to in great detail, especially the 16-month strikes at Salford plastics, and he said the Union in general was quite strong. Women in the workforce are another theme spoken about, as well as some information about social activities, working hours and pay.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Working Class Movement Library
Jack Smith worked for Ward and Goldstone’s, and their subsidiary company Salford Plastics, from the early 1950s to 1987. He started at age 15 working for a company that got taken over by Ward and Goldstone, and in the early stage of the interview talks about the different jobs he had, the processes and machinery involved and his work in maintenance. Health and safety shortfalls are spoken of, with the workers taking all kinds of risks, and some accidents such as an Extruder and a mixer causing dangerous fumes to be released, forcing evacuation.
Jack mentions the workforce and details some of the ‘characters’ that he remembers from his time there, like Abdul Qaida who had tax problems, ‘Don’ from Lithuania who got burnt badly and 3 drunken maintenance workers. He also mentions stray cats, birds and other animals like rabbits, some of which ended up dead around the factory.
Unions, strikes and pickets are also referred to in great detail, especially the 16-month strikes at Salford plastics, and he said the Union in general was quite strong. Women in the workforce are another theme spoken about, as well as some information about social activities, working hours and pay.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Working Class Movement Library
Extent1 audio file and 1 word file
LanguageEnglish
Persons keywordWard and Goldstone, Wordsworth, George
SubjectWorkers, Oral history, Manufacturing, Engineering industry
Conditions governing accessOpen
Levelfile
Normal locationDigital Resource - S:\Audio visual archive\Invisible Histories project