[speaker001:] Could you tell us what job you do in B M K?
[speaker002:] In picking.
[speaker001:] In picking? What does that involve?
[speaker002:] That repairs any faults that's happened at the weaving or the spinning
[speaker001:] Oh right.
[speaker002:] or anything we repair them.
[speaker001:] You're the last stage in
[speaker002:] Just about, aye. Just about, aye.
[speaker001:] Have you been doing it for many years?
[speaker002:] Seventeen.
[speaker001:] Seventeen.
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[speaker001:] Right. [LAUGHTER] So you're the right person to ask the
[speaker002:] Right, right.
[speaker001:] question. Right. What we're go interested in is can you tell us anything about how, how you came to get the job at first. Was it because you knew somebody in the factory or was it the wages that attracted you?
[speaker002:] Well I, I worked in Johnny Walkers, and when I worked in there at that time when you get married you had to leave, that was their policy,
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] they didn't employ married women. So I had to go to the, like the job centre and they offered me this, which I didn't really fancy at the time. Er but I really like it
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] now, a lot of fol a lot of people find that surprising but
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I quite enjoy my job.
[speaker001:] Have you met a lot of friends in here?
[speaker002:] Er well I keep friendly with the people that I work beside but not outside the work.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I get, I have a different circle of friends outside the work.
[speaker001:] Mhm, I see.
[speaker002:] I like to keep it separate.
[speaker001:] Do you ever do or anything like that?
[speaker002:] Yes, aye.
[speaker001:] Mhm. So
[speaker002:] Oh I'll do anything.
[speaker001:] If something happens in the work you'll maybe have a social occasion, to celebrate somebody's retirement.
[speaker002:] That's right, or somebody getting married or, oh aye I go to these things.
[speaker001:] Mm, gosh,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Do you find that the place has changed much in the length of time you've worked here?
[speaker002:] Yes, aye. I find quite a difference aye, there's... I don't know in what way but, I enjoy it better. I find er... it's busier,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] you're kept busier all the time. You don't get so much time to get bored or... fed up, and there's always something going on and everyone's in a hurry and I like that.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I like to be kept going.
[speaker001:] Is the actual kind of machinery in the way you do your job changed?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] No.
[speaker002:] No it hasn't changed in any way.
[speaker001:] Do you feel that you've got more or less job security now than in the past?
[speaker002:] What do you mean by that?
[speaker001:] Well, is it, you mean technology hasn't affected your job to such an extent that you feel that you know you could get laid off at any minute if they bring in something new?
[speaker002:] No, I don't think,
[speaker001:] No?
[speaker002:] no, I feel quite secure
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] in my job, aye.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]... Now I was gonna say do you feel that women are an integral part of the factory, there are a lot of women working in the factory, doing quite important jobs.
[speaker002:] Oh yes, mhm, definitely do, I mean
[speaker001:] Are there a lot of women bosses?
[speaker002:] Well, in the department where's there women working they've got women bosses,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I think it's a kind of policy they have, they've got to have women where there's women working.
[speaker001:] Mhm. find out what's than
[speaker002:] a man well personal things you've got to
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] up you've got to, it's easier to approach a woman
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] then a man. It's always been that.
[speaker001:] Mhm. Do you have any nicknames for each other?
[speaker002:] Mhm. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] And are you going to tell us? [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Er... there's one girl called Quicksoup
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Quicksoup [].
[speaker002:] she never slows down, she looks busy and everything but she's not really, she just goes all the time and that's
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] her name, Quicksoup,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] you know. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Anyone else?
[speaker002:] Er no, not that I can think of,
[speaker001:] No?
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Do you have any special terms that applies to the job that we wouldn't know about? Any nicknames for machines or processes or
[speaker002:] Not really no, none that I can think of.
[speaker001:] Is it a job that you would need to really, you would need to be trained for it? You'd need to, you couldn't just bring somebody in.
[speaker002:] Well there's certain parts that just the basic, like you could, I could go down and show you, but there's others parts it takes a lot of years
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] well quite a while to
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] if you get a hole in a carpet maybe you could put your hand through, it would take you quite a
[speaker001:] Mhm, you'd be able to patch that?
[speaker002:] Aha.
[speaker001:] Aha,
[speaker002:] Oh I think so, aye.
[speaker001:] Do you ever go on any training courses or anything?
[speaker002:] No, never.
[speaker001:] Just within the job you're doing?
[speaker002:] Mhm, when I started in here er I just got put up to work beside one of the women, she just showed me,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] as things cropped up at the time she just showed me how to do it, and I just picked it from there.
[speaker001:] And is it a big section?
[speaker002:] I think there's about seventy or women in it, but there used to be must have been about, maybe about eighty or ninety women
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] to the, the picking.
[speaker001:] Do you do a lot of overtime then?
[speaker002:] Mhm, aye.
[speaker001:] Shift work ever?
[speaker002:] I've did er night shift once, just one week,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I didn't like that, er
[speaker001:] Are there people work it?
[speaker002:] Er there is sections, there are not very many women do... er night shift.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] Just two or three, but some of them do the... er six till two, two till ten.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] But we're er, we get a lot of overtime in our section, that's
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] where all the, the backlog of work catches up, anything bad you can get a good run then you, you just get a bad er run of carpets of the weaving
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] and that's it held up at picking.
[speaker001:] Aha. And how do you feel the er the hours and pay when you started relate to how it is now, is it better or worse, do you think?
[speaker002:] I just find it much the same
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] because, well I get paid off when the receivers come in, I was about three month out before I got sent back for... and er the starting wage was, I think we actually got a wee rise, I think we were the only section that got a rise, and everybody else got a drop. Because we were one of the lowest pays in the factory which we don't, our section doesn't think it's right because
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] we determine quite a lot of the quality of the carpet.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] I mean, well it's like everything else you can miss a thing but that's
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] where the inspection comes in
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] to it.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But er we have to repair everybody else's bad work.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Have you noticed any kind of, like a kind of hierarchy within the factory, like you know one section thinks they're better than another section?
[speaker002:] Oh yes, oh they definitely do, aye.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Oh definitely.
[speaker001:] And who thin who thinks they're the best?
[speaker002:] Well the weavers think that they, they're, they're the lead.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Er weaving it. They don't think of us sorting, they just say, oh the pickers' ll get it. And er the spoolers think they're better than us, cos they get higher pay than us, they think it's... er... they're more skilled, it takes them to longer to train to do the job seemingly but they couldn't, we have to sort their repairs again if they do anything wrong it's us that have
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] got to repair it.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Which we don't think's fair. [LAUGHTER] We've always thought that, that we should er at least be in the same label as them.
[speaker001:] Mhm, so there's quite a bit of joking goes on between sections about this and.
[speaker002:] Mhm, oh aye, mhm. And the, the, the laugh I had was er, the last time they were advertising for spoolers they, you had to have I think it was O levels or something,
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] never. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] I mean what do you need O level, alright to be quiet with your hands and things like that, but how do you need O levels for a factory job, I mean.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And they say if any jobs come up at you would need it there. And to me that's not, I mean you can have, you don't need to be clever, you just need a
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] just need to be, och I don't know the word for it.... You can be smart without being clever.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I'd have been, I didn't like the school, I didn't,
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] I wasn't interested in, I liked anything you didn't have to use your brain for.
[speaker004:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] I felt the teachers had a lot to do with it at the school, if I liked a teacher I liked the subject. If I didn't like the teacher that was it I didn't bother.
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] But er I was always more interested in doing things with my hands, er... P E, music, art, all the things you didn't have
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] So naturally I was going into.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I had no aspirations about
[speaker001:] As quick as you could leave?
[speaker002:] Aye, mhm.
[speaker001:] Earn some money.
[speaker002:] Well in them days you could, if you got fed up with a job you could just go and move on to another
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] job.
[speaker001:] And were your mum and dad happy about that? Did they expect you [cough] to do that?
[speaker002:] Ah they didn't, they knew I wasn't really interested in school, they were, didn't bother them at all. No they were just ordinary factory workers just the same.
[speaker001:] Mhm. They felt quite happy when you got a job in here?
[speaker002:] Mm. Oh aye.
[speaker001:] And, and you're married?
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[speaker001:] Do you have a family?
[speaker002:] I've no family, no.
[speaker001:] No?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] You don't have that added burden. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] No.
[speaker001:] Just a husband to clean up after,
[speaker002:] No, and
[speaker001:] no?
[speaker002:] and a wee dog. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Aye, I've seventeen year of being married.
[speaker001:] Where does your husband work?
[speaker002:] He worked in here as well, he was a carpet fitter,.
[speaker001:] Is that how you met him?
[speaker002:] No, I knew him from the school.
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] Knew him for years and years.
[speaker001:] Was that a good job, carpet fitting?
[speaker002:] Aye, well he's started his own wee business up, carpets. Aye. So he's been in that's just about a year and a half now.
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] Er he's selling and fitting carpets, he quite likes it.
[speaker001:] Do you get any perks in here?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] No?
[speaker002:] No.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER] I go outside and do er repair jobs if there's any you know, complaints in the carpets, they send me out, as long as it's within the kind of
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] er driving distance, but er, I feel that's a big perk.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But it isn't really. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ken:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] You have to face people er that sometimes not very pleased that you're coming,
[speaker001:] Aha.
[speaker002:] that there's something wrong in their carpet. Er but it's a wee break away, it's a wee change of scenery.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I quite enjoy that.
[speaker001:] And what kind of holidays do you get, do you get a week at the fair?
[speaker002:] Fortnight at the fair, and
[speaker001:] Is it a kind of traditional thing?
[speaker002:] That's it, aye, that's it, aye that's all. Usually in our section they've er you can work during the holidays.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Because there's, there's usually somebody working in every section just to keep a wee turnover of things that's in a hurry
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] going. But I prefer to take my holidays at the, the fair.
[speaker001:] Mhm. And everyone gets quite excited,.
[speaker002:] That's right, aye. Oh you making your holiday plans for with all the brochures are due out shortly so
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ken:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] we bring them all in and, and when we go for breaks we look through them and decide where we're gonna go next year.
[speaker001:] And where's the favourite place?
[speaker002:] Er... America's very popular this year.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[speaker001:] Florida?
[speaker002:] Mhm. Aye. One of them's been two or three times, this was, I think this was her fourth time, so she went away to F Florida, away over to the Gulf of Mexico. She really enjoyed that.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] Er I was at Portugal, we had fancied going to America but er my husband's young brother and his wife want to come with us this year and they've got two young kids so they felt it was far enough for them.
[speaker001:] Mhm, mhm. mhm, that's good. Do they ever hold anything down like the way they used to children's parties at Christmas and, and?
[speaker002:] No, no they don't have anything. They used to have er dances as well every,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Christmas dances, annual dances, but that all stopped, aye.
[speaker001:] Do you know if they still have a football club?
[speaker002:] They still have a, a kind of thing within, I don't think they've got football but they've got a golfing thing going.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Er, I don't, I haven't time for all them things I work twelve hour shifts. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Mm.... Tired enough when you get home?
[speaker002:] Aye.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] You just like to sit and watch the television?
[speaker002:] Oh no, I've got to get my [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Get the tea made and, no no. It's all go.
[speaker001:] Does your husband help and things?
[speaker002:] Not very much I'm afraid to say, no.
[speaker001:] Not in the
[speaker002:] No, he's a bit of a male chauvinist. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] And I gave up er nagging him, I just got on with it myself. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Aye, there's a lot of them about. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Do you think you have a few views in common with your workmates or do you think that when you're talking things come out that you kind of like minded about things, maybe because of the job you're doing, and the place you work in, you know like... maybe like politics or something,
[speaker002:] Mm.
[speaker001:] you'll all be sitting saying, oh I hate that Maggie Thatcher, or whatever?
[speaker002:] Oh aye. Er they don't really bring that up much,
[speaker001:] No?
[speaker002:] no. I must admit in the break I we like to do the crossword.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] We sit and concentrate on the crossword, we don't kind of, unless we get it done quick, which is isn't very often.
[speaker004:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Er we concentrate on that, do my crossword and things like that. So I don't really have much conversation with a lot of them.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Just the wee group of us, there's different groups go at a time
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] and er that's what I do. I feel it keeps the brain ticking over.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] It's important [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Right, thank you.... No I've asked all them [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ken:] Have you?
[speaker001:] Yes.
[Ken:] Er, there's just one thing I wanted to ask, you ken how you said you were working in Johnny Walkers,
[speaker002:] Mhm.
[Ken:] I mean, how, how did they used to compare in the two, there was all these different factories,
[speaker002:] A lot of them before that as well.
[Ken:] ?
[speaker002:] Aye.
[Ken:] So I mean... w was there a s kind of like one that was... the one to be in if you could get in, and other ones that were maybe not so good or was it just going from one to another till you?
[speaker002:] It was just going from one to the others, if you got fed up you just, when you left the school you put your name in them all and
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] just whatever one come up first you went for the interview and if you answered it you just took it.
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] Well when I worked at, when I started off in the I quite liked my job in there, you made your own pay, and I liked, it was a starching job, I'd quite a good job in there. I got er timed in there with the, what do call them, they come and timed you, erm
[Ken:] Oh work studier?
[speaker002:] Aye, work study, getting my minutes caught in there cos there was, er but at the time I left there they was doing a lot of shifting about and they were talking about shutting the old sewing.
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] And it made everybody was getting shifted down to, so I didn't fancy working down there, we'd heard that much about it so that's when I left and went to Walkers. And then well I met John, when I was in there, started going out with him, and er... as I say when you get married in there you had to leave, so this, this was the next job they offered me.
[Ken:] So you weren't too happy about that, getting shifted on?
[speaker002:] No I didn't, no I, I don't really like change, I kind of
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] But I didn't like working at Johnny Walkers so I think it was quite a good thing at the time, although I didn't really like it I'm glad now that it happened cos I'd probably still be working in there.
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Er, I didn't like it, it was awfully boring. Really boring in there. And it was all just young girls, they were ov over catty with each other, you ken, it was oh, it was terrible place to work, I didn't like it.
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] But as, as I say it was a job at that time and... and in fact I'd never, this was the only factory I hadn't fancied, working in was the B M K, and yet I like it the best.
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I think that was quite lucky I landed in a good job,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] something I like doing. Cos every... every day you're seeing a different carpet because they do a lot more contract now.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] In the old factory it was just all like home market, what they call home market, it's the same
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] kind of carpets all the time, just an odd contract stuff, now it's nearly all contract, so you're seeing a lot of different carpets and it's more interesting wondering where they're going to, like America and
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] all different places. I quite enjoy it.
[speaker001:] Do you have quite a bit of pride in your work?
[speaker002:] Mhm. Oh aye, I like, I like getting something that's a bit of a mess and being able to make a job of it and
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] I get job satisfaction at it, which I didn't get in any of the other jobs.
[speaker001:] Mhm, and do you feel quite settled in the job?
[speaker002:] Mhm. Oh aye.
[speaker001:] In the town? Quite like the town?
[speaker002:] Mhm, aye, I like. I wouldn't like to move to.
[speaker004:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] No I never fancied,
[Ken:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and yet it's not really any distance, into. I'm quite kind of set
[Ken:] It's
[speaker002:] in my ways.
[Ken:] quite a difference, all the same, isn't it?
[speaker002:] Aye.
[Ken:] But er, so how, how's the town changed, since you started work?
[speaker002:] How's the town changed?
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Oh well it's all changed up certainly, you mean pedestrianization and all that?
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] Oh that's all changed, aye.
[Ken:] Mm.
[speaker002:] Definitely. I think... well there used to be three or four picture houses in the town, there's only one now.
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] They kind of things you mean?
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[Ken:] I mean how, how do you feel about that, I, I mean look what
[speaker002:] Well we've
[Ken:] they've done to it.
[speaker002:] We... we've just got a local we go to, which
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] we don't really... go about much, but I like the pedestrianization, I quite
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] like shopping in. If I'm looking for anything I prefer to shop in, but if I'm just browsing I don't mind going like out of the town, down to or up to for a day but, if I'm looking for something particular I prefer to stay in cos I know where to go. I think they've got quite good variety of kind of up market right down to, if you're looking for a bargain.
[speaker001:] And do you think youngsters nowadays have got less opportunities than you had leaving the school?
[speaker002:] Oh aye, definitely, mhm. Well they all getting encouraged to stay on. Well they're, I mean at least you knew if you didn't like the school you could go into a factory but I mean O levels for... doing the jobs we are, I, I think it's, we had a good laugh about that.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] Then that was one thing we had a good laugh at. Couldn't believe it, do you not think that's
[speaker001:] Mhm, mhm.
[speaker002:] a bit
[speaker001:] It's just [LAUGHTER]
[Ken:] No grey mass is not anyway.
[speaker002:] It's not, you've got to be clever with your hands in most of these
[Ken:] Aye.
[speaker002:] jobs, maybe a good eye to pick up faults in the pattern and that but as for you have to be clever I think it's... senseless.
[speaker004:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Do you get any particular kind of ailments working sore fingers and sore back?
[speaker002:] Aye, sore fingers, hard, you get hard where you're cutting all the time in the shape, but apart from that, maybe scissors fall that on your foot and
[speaker001:] Do you have to stand all day?
[speaker002:] Mhm, aye. When I left in here at the... when the receivers come in I got a wee job in Centre, up the town, and I had, I could have got a job in a hosiery... in but I didn't fancy travelling down there, so I took that wee job up there. It was alright but I didn't like the Saturday work. It was a complete change for me,
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] going into something that I'd never done before.
[speaker001:] Mm.
[speaker002:] the tilling. Counting out the money and that at night cos there's only two of us in it.
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] But I coped alright with it.
[speaker001:] work Saturdays in here now?
[speaker002:] I do work, aye
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] just the Saturday morning, it's only
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] till quarter past eleven, it's an easy wee shift,
[speaker001:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] quite a good wee shift.
[speaker001:] Good.
[speaker002:] But I've, I take my long lie on a Saturday. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] That's my day off.... Course saying in another two or three weeks I'll maybe not.
[speaker001:] Aye.
[speaker002:] If I get fed up and take another wee day off, maybe a Sunday or something like that.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[speaker002:] Well in here you don't get double time for a Sunday,. Never good with their, good with their overtime hours but we're working at that. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]
[Ken:] So you're happy in your job then?
[speaker002:] I am happy in my job, aye. My husband always gets amazed at that, if we're outside he'll say to people ask, do you know if she likes her job and they, he's amazed Ken that can
[Ken:] Mhm.
[speaker002:] can enjoy their job in a factory but
[Ken:] Aha.
[speaker002:] I do. probably the only one. [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER]