Z1205/137

Male. Senior brickworks foreman. Later, Landfill Site Liaison Officer. b. 17.04.1936 Side A (00 mins)Raised in Bedford. Left school at 15 and joined merchant navy. Called up into the army for National Service. Got married and joined London Brick Company at Stewartby in 1956. Worked in the stores. (05 mins)Living in Stewartby village. Sporting facilities for brickworkers and their families. The role of the stores in the brick factory. (10 mins)Shift system: 2 weeks days; 2 weeks nights. (Alternative employment at Marston Valley brickworks or Eastwoods at Kempston Hardwick.) Became a charge-hand, supervising workers on production line. Companionship of workers in 1960s / 1970s. Good job security. (15 mins)Everyone knew everyone in village. All worked at London Brick. Mainly foreign workers in sheds: Poles, Italians, West Indians, Ukranians. (20 mins)Racial tension between Indian and Pakistani workers. West Indian workers appeared to have "chips on their shoulders". Promotion to Shift Foreman responsible for 150 - 200 men. After 6 months, became Senior Foreman responsible for 500 men. Union strikes. (25 mins)During coal strike, electricity rationing affected shift patterns. The need to keep the kilns fed, since they must never be allowed to go out. Pay and conditions decided between unions and management. Indian shop stewards using the "only because we're black" argument to get their own way, when there were disagreements. After 12 years, went in to Sales, under Hanson management. Inspected bricks at sites around the area to problem solve. (30 mins)Close-down of Bletchley and Calvert sites under Hanson. Became Special Bricks Manager, until redundancy. Hanson perceived as "asset strippers", closing sites and getting rid of workers. (32 mins)End of Side A Side B (00 mins)Downsizing of brick production in Vale following Hanson takeover. Quality of bricks fell and demand fell. Hanson takeover created fear in workforce which expected redundancy. Local councils prevention of new, more modern brick production by London Brick Company. (05 mins)Landfill sites using former brick clay pits, firstly by London Brick, then Shanks Mc.Ewan. Redundancy after 35 years with the brick works. Maintains that Hanson didn't care about employees. Reflects on new era of computer-led brick production. New job helping to minimise problems of local villagers from landfill activities. (10 mins)The waster industry, created after the Clean Air Act, 1966. Stewartby, created as a model village. London Brick under the Stewart family, aiming to be model employers, like Cadbury's. Personal interest of company directors in workers. (15 mins)Landfills, the lesser of two evils, when compared with the emissions from the brick chimneys. Need for incinerators to get rid of waste. (20 mins)The best-laid landfill sites with good thick cover, dust control, gas control, etc. there are fewer problems. Sites should be down-wind and not too close to housing. Smell is always going to be an occasional problem. Potential electricity-generation form incinerators. Need for re-cycling of waste. (25 mins)What to do with the Rookery site - former clay pit. Landfill or flooding options. (30 mins)End of Side B END OF INTERVIEW Original Interview 60 mins

29 May 2002

From: 1930 To: 2002

item

London Brick Company,
Hanson Brick Limited,
Marston Valley Brick Company Limited,
Eastwood Flettons Brick Company,
Shanks McEwan,
Stewart, H.,
Cadbury

brick worker, landfill, merchant mariner, supervisor, Poles, Italians, Ukrainians, West Indians, race issues, Pakistanis, foreman of works, trades unions, wages/conditions, Indians, unemployment, computers, Clean Air Act 1956, pollution, chimneys, STEWARTBY, KEMPSTON, Marston, LIDLINGTON, Kempston Hardwick, Bletchley