Cammell Lairds.

[happy daze john in oz]

Same here in Oz Lou, we send the ra wmaterials to China and they come back as goods. But the basic problem is the cost of wages. Here in Oz the unions are screaming about the loss of jobs saying the high dollar is to blame. The fact is that for every dollar the employee recieves the employer has to pay a further 30 cents in on costs. Our on costs are the highest in the world. The employer has to find 9% super contribution, payroll tax, work cover tax, provision for long service leave, after ten years service you get additional leave, leave loading. This is the best one, goes back to the days of the 50's. Workers on leave would not have the opportunity to earn overtime so the unions demanded an additional 17.5% be added to holiday pay. Some industries have now amalgamated it into the general wage, but some still have to pay it. The most get 4 weeks annual leave compared to one in Japan and maybe only two in USA. Then provision for materinty and paterinty leave, the list goes on. We can no longer competet with nations such as China, India, Indonesia and even some Eu countries. As long as such conditons prevail we in the West will suffer and see jobs dissapear overseas.

[Neville Roberts]

I seem to remember the string twangers strike in cammel lairds in the 50,s. shut it down for a long time . the carpenters union complained that it was thier job too mark the sheets of steel for cutting, being that the chalk strings were attached to wooden pegs. so the unions shut down the whole shipyard till it was resolved , I think it was 6 months . the Unions where out of hand in those days .

[Captain Kong]

That is right, Lairds were destroyed by the Unions, demarcation rules.
They had recieved an order to build 14 ships for an American Fruit Company, whilst they were building the first two the Joiners wanted to drill into the steel to fix wood battens the metal workers union objected and said it was their members job and so a long strike started, the Ship owner cancelled all 14 ships and went elsewhere.
And hundreds of men were thrown out of work.
"But we won our case Lads"

Cheers
Brian.

[robpage]

Also lets not forget the last of the Lavender Ladies the Windsor Castle was built at Lairds.
Regards.
Jim.B.

Realising that the Windsor at the end was the youngest of the mail fleet It set me thinking ,Whilst the Windsor was built there in 1959 , all the previous Union - Castle Mail ships were Harland and Woolf , Some of the Cargo ships were Glasgow and Sunderland built , the last one was the Transvaal Castle and she was John Browns on the Clyde in 1961 . I think the Windsor was the only one built at Cammell Laird' s . It always seemed odd that there was a one off for Cammell Lairds though . The Mini Mails were built at Swan Hunter on the Tyne , and the cargo refrigerated boats at Greenock . It was a shame for the Windsor that after attempts to rescue her from the breakers yard she finally ended up there . That is why when I see people trying to save our maritime heritage , I despair at what it costs to keep these leviathans afloat as a museum . So sat here wondering was there a reason that Cammell Lairds was a one-off , As far as I know I don't believe any of the Clan Line ships were built there either .

The official name of the lavender was " London Grey " and I believe it may have been supplied in later years by Craig Hubbock Paint factory at Greenock , which was a B&C company

[Jim Brady]

Do we have any ships engine builders left in the UK or will we have to import these.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[robpage]

Rolls Royce , which I think are in Leith , have the licences for Crossley , Stones , KaMeWa , Brown Brothers , and the Rolls Royce engines , but I suspect that the diesels are all built at Bergen's works in Norway , and the MArine Gas Turbines built here in the UK . I think the World headquarters is in Singapore since 2009 .

[vic mcclymont]

After the delay in launching the Pendennis Castle due to strikes, Cayzer's vowed that not another U-C liner would be built in Belfast. The Windsor was built at cammell laird, Transvaal at Clydebank.
From 1918 until 1966 all clans were built at the Greenock Dockyard with the exception of few built at Swan hunter and John Browns when the GDC was being modernised in the late fifties early sixties.

[rigger]

Good news for the company. Lets just hope that the ugly face of militancy does not raise its head again on Merseyside in the forthcoming years and destroy the optimism.

Bill

I think your living in the past. Capt bill lairds have done well the last years and the old militant story doesn't Help when people keep pulling them down when other yards are closing lairds is booming. If you pass you will see ships all over the yard getting repaired ferries naval vessels offshore vessels. Also massive offshore windfarm erection projects for Liverpool bay so bill let's live in the future. Not the past good luck to lairds. I worked at lairds two years rigging on the Polaris submarine projects no trouble there. Regards rigger/an

[Jim Brady]

Hi Rigger,yes you are quite right the wages and job satisfaction is far different from yesteryear.I posted about a guys earnings last week but i think I got it mixed up so I deleted the post.However I am now assured the labourers are on £10 an hour.This is for Captain Kong,Brian I have just been told today that there is a couple of Bootle guys working there rigging aged 76 are you up for it or what!!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Captain Kong]

No problem Jim, I am 77. look at my avatar, I was leaping aloft and out on the yards furling sail on a sailing ship in the Indian Ocean when I was 72.
This afternoon just dug out the garden, laid half a ton of hard core and laid ten x 3 foot by 2 foot granite flagstones.
Now I am just finishing a bottle of Australin wine. All single handed no help. I feel like a 21 year old ,
But cant find one at the moment.
Cheers
Brian