Éditions littéraires et linguistiques de l'université de Grenoble
Abstract
On 29th July 1971, John Davies announced in the House of Commons the bankruptcy of Upper Clyde Shipbuilders, the shipyard that was the pride of Scottish industry. The Conservative Government of Edward Heath had been elected a year earlier on a platform of non-intervention in the industrial sector and had promised the end of state subsidies to “lame duck” enterprises. The Government showed, at first, a resolute determination to stick to its free market policy, but on 28th February 1972, Davies informed the House that the Government would give £35 million to the company to save jobs and avoid closing down the yards. Thus, the rescue of UCS decisively ended the Government’s policy of disengagement and marked the beginning of a remarkable turnaround.
On the other hand, this episode also sheds light on a very unusual industrial conflict which has now taken on an almost symbolic dimension, for it remains a unique and historical struggle to save an industry and a nation. Backed by the powerful and charismatic leadership of Jimmy Reid, a Communist shop steward, the workers of UCS contrived a new form of industrial action to resist governmental control: they established a work-in instead of a traditional strike. Scottish unions assumed a more radical and leftist-orientated dimension. With renewed influence, the Communists helped contribute to the successful outcome of the conflict and the capitulation of the Government. The resurgence of Scottish unions and the recovery of Scottish nationalism were significant first steps in the new political process, since, on the heels of the fight for UCS, a new struggle against unemployment and recession ensued. Indeed, the Government’s acquiescence does not merely represent a victory for the working class over the ruling class. It represents a victory for Scotland over England, and a humiliating defeat for Edward at the hands of the Scottish, and thus echoes one of Scotland’s most glorious moments of history
