Conversations with workers at the former Linwood car plant

A series of interviews with former employees at the motor manufacturing complex at Linwood, Renfrewshire, which closed in May 1981 after an extended series of industrial disputes and economic downturn in the UK car manufacturing industry. Several interviewers were involved in the project, in particular Clifford Lockyer and an unidentified woman.
In Lockyer's words, the project "sought to record the life of the Linwood factory from shadow war factory to closure".

Clifford Lockyer was born in London. Following his graduation from the University of Strathclyde (hons BA Industrial Relations and Administration, 1969), he worked as a personnel officer for Chrysler at Linwood, Renfrewshire, then took up an academic career.
After spending 1970-1971 as assistant lecturer in Social and Economic Research at the University of Glasgow, Lockyer returned to the University of Strathclyde as a lecturer in Industrial Relations (senior lecturer 1984-2003). Between 1986 and 1990, when his department merged with the Department of Administration 1990, he also acted as Head of Department and first Chairman of Department of Human Resource Management 1989 -1990.
On taking early retirement in 2003, Lockyer lectured part time at the School of Business & Management, University of Glasgow. He also held Honorary Senior Research Fellowships at University of Strathclyde (Fraser of Allander Institute, 2003-2013, and Department of Human Resource Management, 2005-2009). 2003 to 2011 he also acted as module co-ordinator at the Graduate Business School, and he relaunched the Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary. He retired for a second time in 2013.
Lockyer’s main research includes
- the Linwood project (1981-1983), which sought to record the life of the Linwood factory from shadow war factory to closure
- large regular surveys of Scottish Business trends (the Scottish Chambers’ Business Survey) together with surveys for Lloyds TSB, Scottish tourism and the oil and gas production and services sector, 1989-2012
- contributions to a number of commissioned research projects conducted by the Scottish Centre for Employment Research, Department of Human Resource Management, 2000-2009

The Scottish Oral History Centre (SOHC) was set up within the Department of History at the University of Strathclyde in 1995. Since its foundation the SOHC has been involved in a wide range of teaching, research and outreach activities designed primarily to encourage the use of ‘best practice’ oral history methodology in Scotland. Until 2005, the SOHC was directed by Professor Callum Brown, since then by Professor Arthur McIvor.

Restricted. Please contact University of Strathclyde Archives to enquire about access.

Clifford Lockyer was born in London. Following his graduation from the University of Strathclyde (hons BA Industrial Relations and Administration, 1969), he worked as a personnel officer for Chrysler at Linwood, Renfrewshire, then took up an academic career.
After spending 1970-1971 as assistant lecturer in Social and Economic Research at the University of Glasgow, Lockyer returned to the University of Strathclyde as a lecturer in Industrial Relations (senior lecturer 1984-2003). Between 1986 and 1990, when his department merged with the Department of Administration 1990, he also acted as Head of Department and first Chairman of Department of Human Resource Management 1989 -1990.
On taking early retirement in 2003, Lockyer lectured part time at the School of Business & Management, University of Glasgow. He also held Honorary Senior Research Fellowships at University of Strathclyde (Fraser of Allander Institute, 2003-2013, and Department of Human Resource Management, 2005-2009). 2003 to 2011 he also acted as module co-ordinator at the Graduate Business School, and he relaunched the Fraser of Allander Economic Commentary. He retired for a second time in 2013.
Lockyer’s main research includes
- the Linwood project (1981-1983), which sought to record the life of the Linwood factory from shadow war factory to closure
- large regular surveys of Scottish Business trends (the Scottish Chambers’ Business Survey) together with surveys for Lloyds TSB, Scottish tourism and the oil and gas production and services sector, 1989-2012
- contributions to a number of commissioned research projects conducted by the Scottish Centre for Employment Research, Department of Human Resource Management, 2000-2009

The Scottish Oral History Centre (SOHC) was set up within the Department of History at the University of Strathclyde in 1995. Since its foundation the SOHC has been involved in a wide range of teaching, research and outreach activities designed primarily to encourage the use of ‘best practice’ oral history methodology in Scotland. Until 2005, the SOHC was directed by Professor Callum Brown, since then by Professor Arthur McIvor.

Created by Anna-K Mayer, 26 January 2017.

Current location sound recordings: Baird 27.1./akm February 2017

A full listing of the project exists in draft as http://atom.lib.strath.ac.uk/sohc001-conversations-with-workers-at-former-linwood-car-plant-draft

A recent PhD thesis (Gilmour, Alison Julia 'Examining the ‘hard-boiled bunch’: work culture and industrial relations at the Linwood car plant, c. 1963-1981' (2003, University of Glasgow)) is referencing several boxes of 'Papers of Cliff Lockyer' at the Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI). PLEASE FOLLOW UP whereabouts./akm February 2017

Email from Paisley Central Library in SOHC Admin File/akm February 2017

Transferred from SOHC in 2015 and 2016. The project's original ID was SOHCA/020. The recordings were made 1981-1985 using a cassette recorder. In 2016, they were digitised to uncompressed, unaltered 24 bit/96kHz BWF format for preservation. Enhancements were made to improve sound quality where necessary and 16bit/48kHz MP3 copies created for access.

This collection is part of the Scottish Oral History Centre Archive.
Lockyer donated a box of Linwood materials including photographs (many from the professional photographer employed by Pressed Steel and Rootes) to Renfrewshire Heritage Centre, based at Paisley Central Library, where they can be consulted.

published