Ingrid Sinclair from Trade Films sits down with Harriet Vyse, formerly works convenor at Plessey's Sunderland. During their discussion Harriet talks about her work as a shop steward and convenor, her role as delegate to the national committee of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers; the difficulties of organising women workers; the fight for equal pay; the Women's National Commission; the occupation of Plessey's to try to save the factory; and the effects of the closure...

Ingrid Sinclair from Trade Films sits down with Harriet Vyse, formerly works convenor at Plessey's Sunderland. During their discussion Harriet talks about her work as a shop steward and convenor, her role as delegate to the national committee of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers; the difficulties of organising women workers; the fight for equal pay; the Women's National Commission; the occupation of Plessey's to try to save the factory; and the effects of the closure of Plessey's on Sunderland. Title: Harriet Vyse From her living room sitting in a leather armchair Harriet Vyse begins her conversation with Ingrid Sinclair by talking about the character of her mother and how people can learn a lot from her generation. Title: December 1983 Title: Harriet Vyse (nee Hooper). Age: 54. Status: Married: Job Status: Unemployed. Worked: Plesseys, Sunderland 1959-1977. Trade Union: Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers Harriet talks about starting work at Plessy Company PLC at Sunderland in 1959 and the work she did and explains that when she started was known as Ericssons Telephone, it didn’t become Plesseys until 1967. Title: Plesseys UK Sites. Sunderland, South Shields, Alexandria, Ballynaich, Speke, Ilford, Beeston, Swindon, Lambershead, Isle of Wight, Huyton, Kirkby Harriet is asked what she believes brought companies such as Plesseys to Sunderland, she talks about regional aid. Title: Regional Aid. Government aid grant to Plessey £1.7 million. Plesseys own investment £1.6 million Harriet also states that the low rates of pay paid to women was another major reason why the company came to the region, this was the situation until the Equal Pay Act. She didn’t believe there was a tradition of women in trade unions in this region, however now women are in the unions to stay. Harriet talks about how she first became involved with the trade unions, being asking to become a shop steward and the support she received from other women shop stewards and works convenors. She goes onto talk about fighting for equal pay which they got in June 1975 that benefitted around 6000 women between Sunderland and South Shields. Harriet is asked if family commitments make it difficult for women to be active in trade unions? She replies that it would depend on the support of the husband. If women want to be active then they will find a way to combine the home, work and the unions. She provides details of other trade union activities she was involved in leading to her being elected to the national committee and helping to shape policy. She goes onto talk about being elected a convenor at Plesseys and the challenges she faced with some of the men. Harriet talks about the work she does on the Women’s National Commission and how she became a member. She remembers being invited to a reception at 10 Downing Street for International Women’s Year and being surprised to learn that she could only bring a male companion. She is asked about the women’s movement, which has traditionally been seen as being middle-class. Harriet doesn’t believe this is true as there are many working class women involved. She believes that anything that advances the rights of women is a good thing and gives the example of the women of Greenham Common whom she admires. Once women achieve their aims, comments Harriet, it can only benefit the working classes. Harriet is asked if she is involved on other political activities outside trade unionism, she explains she was a member of the local Labour Parties women’s sections but had to leave to focus on her trade union work. She is critical of the present Labour party for being not socialist enough, she explains why. Title: The Closure Title: March 1977 Title: From Plessey Telecommunications to all District Officials, staff and hourly paid Unions at Sunderland site A list of Plessey Worldwide subsidiaries with Harriet in voiceover reading a statement from the company regarding the closure of the Sunderland plant. Harriet states that she doesn’t know why Plesseys decided to close the site, she talks about some of the changes that have taken place which she thought would have kept the factory up to date. Title: Plesseys 1976 Trading Profit £58.5 million Title: 1975-1976 Chairman’s Salary £65,000. Workers average wage £2400 Harriet talks about how she became aware of the site closure; she is critical of how it was done with many of her members only finding out from the television evening news. She talks about the initial reaction at the factory and setting up a joint action committee to try and save jobs. Title: Offers Made to Plesseys. Department of Employment offered £2 million. National Enterprise Board offer to take multi-million-pound share. Local authority offers 9 year free lease She talks about became part of a sit-in protest by those members of staff who had refused the companies redundancy cheques that occupied the companies’ training offices. She talks about some of the actions the group did to get a reaction from management and what was achieved. Harriet talks about the impact the closure of Plesseys had on both the people who worked there and the city of Sunderland. Title: Closure Cost to Government. Half cost of redundancy payments. Earnings related benefit. Unemployment and Supplementary Benefits. Free school meals. Free medical and dental treatment. Local authority rent and rate rebates. Loss of taxes and National Insurance contributions Title: Closure Costs to Plesseys. Half cost of redundancy payments, offset against taxes Harriet is asked what she thinks she has gained from her time in the trade unions, she believes that for the women she has represented she has shown them what can be achieved through struggle as well as give them the dignity to know that they are equal to men. She hopes that some of the younger women will go onto become future leaders. She looks back positively on her 24 years’ experience as a union official, the friends she has made and what she has achieved personally. Title: Harriet Vyse is currently involved in setting up a co-op run by disabled people which will provide computer services for small businesses Title: In this programme Harriet Vyse is expressing her personal opinions Credit: Camera Peter Roberts Sound Elaine Drainville VTR Peter Woodhouse Editor John Adams Assistant Editor Wendy McEvoy [Director John Eden] Title: Financial assistance: Channel 4 Television, British Film Institute. Trade Films is an ACTT licenced workshop End title: A Trade Films Production © 1984