We’ve all heard of gun runners, drug runners, booze runners, ciggy runners, and so on. A friend of mine even told me of his tee-total, staunch Methodist, aged great uncle whose weekly ‘running’ consisted of taking a bottle of Irish Whiskey to his equally aged, though...
Audrey Hepburn remains an enduring symbol of grace, beauty, and humanity. Born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium, Hepburn's rise from her modest beginnings to become a Hollywood legend and a compassionate humanitarian is a story of inspiration and nostalgia....
The Blackpool Tramway is a British icon, one of the oldest electric tram systems in the world and a symbol of Blackpool's rich history. Stretching along the Lancashire coastline, the network has been intrinsically tied to Blackpool's evolution as a beloved seaside...
The Trafford Centre, nestled in Greater Manchester, England, stands as one of the United Kingdom's premier shopping and leisure destinations. Its journey through time is a fascinating story of persistence and evolution. Let's take a closer look at how this iconic...
You are going to be disappointed if you think this article might be a review for a new movie in the Iron Man Franchise from Marvel Studios. Our iron man isn’t Robert Downey Jr. It is in fact Freddie Steele who became one of Port Vale’s most loved and respected...
A Royal Beginning (1844) Manchester Victoria Station opened its doors on January 1, 1844, marking the start of what would become a long and storied history. It holds the distinction of being the first station in the UK to be named “Victoria,” thanks to the special...
Douglas Earle Marshall, Locomotive, Carriage & Wagon Superintendent of the London Brighton & South Coast Railway was on a roll. The company was pleased with the success of his I3 class 4-4-2 tank engines, so much so that Douglas was given free reign to design...
In this case the last loco was not some last of its class high-performance main line express engine that once grabbed the headlines but a lowly tank locomotive that attracted little attention. On week ending 16 February 1952, British Railways officially withdrew...
In the mid-'90s, Manchester was more than just a city; it was the beating heart of the British music scene, pulsing with the energy of a new generation of bands ready to take on the world. Among them, one band emerged like a lightning bolt, electrifying not just the...
The Second World War was a period of profound upheaval for the United Kingdom, not only on the battlefields but also on the home front. As bombs fell and men went off to fight, the people left behind faced a different kind of challenge: making do with less. Rationing,...
Thanks to the movie Made in Dagenham, everyone remembers the 1968 Ford sewing machinists’ strike for the 187 women who walked out in Essex.
But 195 women at Ford’s Halewood car plant on Merseyside went on strike too!
Much less is written or heard about them. But their fight for fair pay half a century ago played a major role in rewriting employment history.
Their action led directly to the Equal Pay Act of 1970 and heavily influenced the fledgling women’s movement.
The strike started on June 7th 1968 when women sewing car-seat covers at Dagenham downed tools over being paid less than men doing the same job.
The women were classed as B-grade unskilled workers while the men were employed as C-grade semi-skilled workers.
When the women machinists at Halewood walked out soon afterwards, Ford knew they had a fight on their hands.
The strike attracted worldwide publicity, especially when Ford’s output was brought to a standstill.
The women soon found out they were not only fighting Ford, but the unions too. The mighty Transport and General Workers Union (T&GWU) refused to back them.
They were also ridiculed by male colleagues and sections of the press who clung to the line that they should be caring for their families, not earning pin money!
Meetings were held across the country, including the T&GWU headquarters in London, but the women refused to give up.
As the strike entered its second week, Prime Minister Harold Wilson sent Employment Secretary Barbara Castle to help with negotiations.
Dagenham shop steward Rosie Boland raised the issue of equal pay with Castle over tea – and found the minister sympathetic.
After three weeks on strike, the women settled for 92 per cent of the C grade rate. But it would take another 16 years and another strike to force Ford to regrade them.
The film Made in Dagenham, starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins and Miranda Richardson was released in 2010. The theme tune, with lyrics by Billy Bragg, was sung by former Ford clerk Sandie Shaw.
Made in Dagenham – the musical – premiered at London’s Adelphi Theatre in 2014.
Former daily newspaper editor and group editorial director for leading national media brands, Malcolm is a regular contributor to the iNostalgia National History with a love for our national heritage.