Nerve 13 - Life Goes On?

Brian Roberts was one of the dockers sacked in 1995 by the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company as they sought to crush any resistance to the casualisation of working conditions in the port. Here he tells how his life has changed.

LIFE GOES ON?

On 6th October 2008 I finally became a Manx worker. I had worked on the Isle of Man for five years and no longer required a work permit. Previously I had worked on Liverpool docks for over twenty-five years and could not imagine what was ahead of me on that September day in 1995. By refusing to cross the Torside picket line, my life - like so many others - would be thrown into chaos and uncertainty for the next 28 months.

Since the ending of the Registered Dockworkers Scheme in 1989, life on Liverpool docks had changed drastically. You did as you were told, or faced discipline, worked twelve hour shifts almost daily, negotiation was impossible, the union was barely recognised, oh…and they introduced a parallel workforce on less pay and worse conditions called Torside. I will not elaborate on Torside and its murky background. Suffice to say that after years of campaigning to improve their conditions we had made no progress whatsoever. The Torside workers were becoming more militant and confrontation was inevitable. They too were sacked along with us.

When the dispute finally came to an end, many men were bitter, some were resigned to the inevitable and some, heartbreakingly, never lived to see that day. Many were too young to receive pensions and had young families and needed a wage to survive. I was in between. Too young to receive a pension but no family commitments. In a way, I was lucky and in a unique situation.

In October 1998 I was accepted into Liverpool University to do a degree course in Economic and Social History. During the dispute I had been attending evening classes in Maths and English, mainly because they were free, but also I had left school with no qualifications and I thought it was time to do something about it.

In my third year I was required to do a 10,000 word dissertation. I decided to write about the 'Blue Union'. I'd often heard old dockers pointing at others saying "yeah, he was in the White" or "he was in the Blue". I sometimes overheard them saying things like “it would have been different if we'd been in the Blue". This was very interesting, because many on the picket lines seriously questioned the role of the Transport and General Workers Union (White) in our bitter dispute. Bill Hunter was my first reference point. Bill is a lifelong trade unionist and socialist and his autobiography included his memories of the Blue/White dispute. I was very lucky to interview Bill and I gained a good insight into the local and national politics that lay behind the dissatisfaction with the TGWU.

I spent a week at Warwick University reading reports, correspondence and minutes held by the TGWU. This included the Blue Union's records. They had amalgamated with the TGWU and their records were also kept in the archive. I could therefore compare the records of both sides in the dispute. The original minutes, reports and correspondence indicated a David versus Goliath battle. The TGWU were not unduly worried. In the end however, they had great cause to be. The dispute badly hurt the integrity of the TGWU. Many members felt angry and bitter; however, that's for another story.

In Warwick, I got to know the staff very well. Every day I was in the archive reliving the events of over 50 years ago. Just before closing on my final evening the archivist asked if I required anything else. I told him I had looked at everything I wanted. He asked how my research had gone and then invited me to look behind the scenes at how an archive operates. I was very interested. We then went for a pint. He asked me if I'd ever considered a career in archives. My answer was "not in a thousand years". Two years later I had got my degree, completed one year's placement as an archives assistant at Warwick County Record Office, been accepted for and passed the postgraduate training course for archives and records management.

I accepted the post of Archive Officer for the Isle of Man Government. This was to help implement the Isle of Man Public Records Act 1999. This is a huge task. We have over a hundred years of government records to identify, select and catalogue. I am responsible for producing catalogues and implementing an electronic cataloguing system (CALM). I am also responsible for providing specialist advice and assistance as well as responding to enquiries from government bodies and the general public.

Would I want my old job back? I can't honestly say. However, I know many men who would, despite everything. I also think of those no longer around. In particular, I think of Big John Cowley, amongst many others, a man with a heart as big as Liverpool, sadly missed by everyone who knew him. However, life goes on…

Printer friendly page

Sorry Comments Closed

Comment left by Steve Murphy on 25th November, 2009 at 14:43
Fasinating article a story of one man a proud and concntious docker. Who like all before him fought a gallant and determined battle against the MDHC/the establishment. For better terms ans conditions not just for themselves but for future generations. Sadley this was not to be, but like Brian thats another story. I new Brian during the Dock dispute through my job as one of two caretakers employed at TGWU Transport House Liverpool office. It only reinforces my view that inspite of our lack real Education. We (the working man/woman) can achieve greater ambition and more meaningful employment (given the oportunity) that in a perverse way presented itself to Brian shortly after the dispute ended. Ironicaly enough I read the article in the nerve, then a short time later, bumped into Brian in the CASA, on one of his journeys home? (is he really now a manxman?) Anyway the article though in many ways sad, is a breath of fresh air in that inspite of all that was put before Brian and his comrades. He kept his faith and belief that no matter how hard times are/where you can if you are determined enough achieve almost anything in life "QUITE SIMPLEY BRIAN TRUELY INSPIRATIONAL"

Comments are closed on this article