Because the tannery had a higher turnover than the footwear did, mostly it was people in the tannery who got redundant. They’d move them down to work there from footwear which nearly killed some of them! But they’d stick it for as long as they could because they know when the work picked up again then they’d take them back up there.
[Jim, Baily’s and Morlands]
When we went on the three-day week – you know when there was all power cuts and things – they were amazed, Morlands were, because we turned out just as much in three days as we did in five. I think we thought, we well don’t want our money going down!
[Caroline B, Morlands]
They made a lot of their own electric when we had strikes in the seventies. They said we’d be on short time, but we didn’t we were overtime right the way through, ‘cos when the electric went off outside they went over to their own.
[Steve, Morlands]
In the tannery there was a bit of a bad feeling, because the girls were earning loads more money up there on the machines than what we were earning in the tannery. For years the tannery and the coats carried footwear, they’d made those sheepskin boots, since 1920 hadn’t they? I used to say, ‘Why don’t you upgrade and do more modern stuff?’
[Jim, Baily’s and Morlands]
Oh yes – I got suspended! I got suspended because you had to work on Saturday if you were asked. I heard about it on the Friday that we were meant to work on the Saturday, and I’d made arrangements to go and visit my friend in Bristol so I thought, oh blow this, I’m going. So I went. So I got suspended for a couple of days. But after that they put a notice up so everybody could see it.
[Judith, Morlands]
I had always had 200% performance and maximum saving every time. Anyway, when they had all that trouble, I was sick. A chap came up to me and asked me to come back on day rate. They were sending back packs of rejects.
[Terry M, Morlands]
