Hundreds of mourners attend the funeral of former Glasgow shipyard union leader Jimmy Reid. Mr Reid came to national prominence in 1971 when the then Conservative government attempted to close the loss-making Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) yard. In 1968 the Clydebank yard of John Brown and Company, then building the QE2, was absorbed into UCS along with four other yards.
As a union shop steward Mr Reid led a "work-in" at the yards, rather than a strike. Such a strike by shipyard workers would have given the British Government reason to go ahead with closure. Rather than leave the yards empty, a work-in was staged by union members. They ran the yard, completing orders and demonstrating the viability of the yards, and that closure was unjustified.
With public opinion in favour of the shipyard workers the Conservative government finally relented, although not for 14 months. Of the five yards, three were saved, one closed and one - John Brown - sold off. Without the action of Mr Reid, his fellow shop stewards and union members, thousands of jobs would have been lost and ship building on the Upper Clyde would have disappeared forever. Mr Reid died on 10 August 2010. He leaves a wife and three daughters.
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