A new start

So now I have left the Railway, yes with a lot of memories. but a new beginning for me. I bought a car. Ford Anglia.
Starting a new job for me and I suppose for most was so strange. Especially as I was management. I have tried hard to remember exactly the hours the women worked and I think it was this Every morning it was 7.45am and at 12.30 to 1.00pm lunch then 1.0pm to 5. 15pm Monday and to 5.00pm the rest of the week. making it 44 hour week. Things were made more tricky though. In the next 4 years the weekly hour worked was reduced from 44 to firstly 42. 75 reduction of 15 minutes a day then a further 15 minute reduction to 41.25 hours a week. Thankfully I resigned my position before any further reductions in hours was suggested.
Being a member of staff, we occasionally had to work on a Saturday morning, this was not bad as I was used to working very unsocial hours. We never received any pay for this service though but my manager informed me that the bonus at Christmas woiuld be a pleasant surprise. Of course there was a recession on. To be honest I think that there has been loads of recessions. When I eventually went into business there were plenty of recessions. The first with Ted Heath and the 3 day week. The two miners strikes. the eighties and nineties. But that is for later.
Suffice to say. I think it was Jim Callaghan who was the P M and he put a block on any increases in pay. I think he was the last P M that said so much in cash and not a percentage. I have always believed in everybody getting the same sort of increase. If you get say £5 increase then all seems to be fair. If they say a percentage increase of say 3% . This is O K if you are on say £30.000 but of you are on £10000 then it is not so good. The gap between the higher and lower paid just gets wider.
Anyway there was a way to get round pay restraints even those days. Just as well really as the bonus that we all expected to get was not as good as most thought. I was pleased as it was the first bonus I had ever had in my life.
I must admit that I found it most difficult to adjust to work in a factory, to be on ones feet most of the day, try to get the best out of the workers and reach the targets, but gradually things became easier.
Pregnancy seemed to be the main problem, working with young women you are going to get the odd pregnancy but you seemed to lose several of the same machinists at the same time, not a lot one could do but there were always plenty of young girls wishing to work in the shoe factory as it was well paid. Piece work but rewarding work.
It was after I had been there about 2 years that there was a possibility tha I might have a chance of working for myself wityhin the next 18 months. I used to go out drinking a lot, also smoke a lot, I decided to cut these down, told nobody why and started to save up just in case.
I eventually was given the green light to make a decision to start my own business around October 1968 with me moving to the coast in January in 1969.
I asked to see the M.D and informed him of my intentions. I was surprised in his remarks to me. He said. " I will not try to persuade you not to leave, you have far more courage than I have. We know you and you know me. If it does not work out come back and see us." I was really moved although the M D was a gentleman and always insisted we called each other by our christian names.
So after being there from June 1964 to the end of 1968. I finally went to work for myself . A huge risk but one I was prepared to take. More to follow.