UCS Work-in @ 40 - inspiring concert leads to film show

Last Sunday the latest successful event marking the 40^th Anniversary of the UCS Work-in delighted a sell-out audience at the Old Fruitmarket. Staged at the culmination of Celtic Connections it led on from the Gala Concert last October in the Mitchell Theatre, and again featured a number of musicians who played then - and indeed 40 years ago - in support of the Work-in.

Highlights were the ever-youthful Jimmie Macgregor replaying Pack up your tools and go a number he wrote for the UCS album in ’71, and a David and Goliath story, with a Springburn twist! Ubiquitous harmonica player, Fraser Speirs was on fire both accompanying Love and Money’s James Grant, and his solo slot with a Sonny Terry blues number, and Emma Pollock, ex-Delgados and born in the year of the Work-in, hit the right note with a version of Woody Guthrie’s ‘Union Maid’.  Arthur Johnstone and the Stars Band  formed the bedrock of the night’s entertainment.

Many more cracking performances are highlighted in reviews on the STV website here. Pete Heywood, the author of this review also has some photos of the concert on Flickr here, and another good review was by Ken Smith in the Herald here.

One particular performance to note for the future was David Hayman’s dramatisation of a Bob Starrett story from the yards. This, and the story published in the programme, suggest a broader range of talent that will surely lead to further exposure.

The next coup for the organisers of these events is the visit of Ann Guedes, founder of the film co-operative Cinema Action - the only film crew the Stewards allowed into the yards during the Work-in. She comes to Glasgow to take part in panels discussing the two films to come out of that access - UCS 1, and Class Struggle - Story from the Clyde. They will be shown over three nights at the Mitchell Theatre between the 21-23 March. Tickets from www.glasgowconcerthalls.com.

UCS Anniversary in the media - part 2

In addition to the references in the post on this topic on 30/09/11 the main broadcast media have published material following the concert. BBC Scotland ran a piece on Sunday's Politics Show, and have a report on the concert on their website.

STV have a nice piece 'Voices from UCS' with interviews with UCS stewards.

UCS Anniversary in the media

The 40th anniversary of the UCS work-in has been well marked in the press in Scotland. In addition to the detailed feature in last Wednesday's Morning Star, the Sunday Mail has given the events the best show.

Last month the newspaper ran an exclusive interview with Guest of Honour, Tony Benn. Tony pointed out the link between today's campaigning and the workers who fought for the retention of shipbuilding on the upper Clyde 40 years ago.

Last weekend the paper tracked down work-in cartoonist Bob Starrett, currently resident in Los Angeles and ran another story on the impact that Jimmy's Reid and Airlie made, standing head and shoulders above the Hollywood stars that Bob subsequently worked with.

Other papers have also referred to the anniversary. The Herald covered the launch of the events. The Daily Record did a piece on the Scottish Parliament debate and reception, as did the Herald.

The BBC broadcast an 'Archive on 4' history  at the end of August, and GMS had an interview with Tony Benn this morning.

More obscure sites covering the events include Footstompin - a Scottish music site - specifically on Eddie McGuire's new composition, and maritime news/history site gCaptain.

Exhibition features wealth of UCS archives

This release from late last week, highlights the opening of an exhibition being staged at the Mitchell Library foyer (Granville Street entrance) on the work-in. It uses exhibition panels produced for the 30th Anniversary and archive material from the Glasgow University, and Glasgow Caledonian University archives, to tell the story of the work-in, how the organisers communicated their cause inside and outside the yards, and the public response to the work-in.

It will run for the next two weeks. Given the obvious parallels between the political position we are now in, and the political position the stewards in UCS faced, there are many ideas that activists and members in our unions and communities can take on board. Also illuminating - not least for the clips of contemporary speeches from Jimmy's Reid and Airlie - is the short film accompanying the exhibition. Stick the cans on for ten minutes and give it a go!

The parallels are also being brought into sharp focus by the organising of a major demonstration by the STUC on the same day as the UCS 40 Anniversary Gala Concert (October 1). This is part of their 'There is a Better way' campaign and unites trade unions and a host of community groups in a march from Glasgow Green (assemble 11.30 am) to Kelvingrove Park. The Rally there, will be addressed by Tony Benn who will later be the Guest of Honour at the Concert, in the Mitchell Theatre.

20 September 2011                         For Information and Immediate Release 

The next phase of the events planned to celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of the UCS work-in will be an exhibition of material selected from the UCS work-in archives, that will open at the Mitchell Library on Thursday 22 September 2011. 

It will be opened at 6.00pm by well-known folk singer, author, broadcaster and entertainer, Jimmie Macgregor. Jimmie was a prominent supporter of the work-in at the time, and also features on the programme for the Gala Concert planned for 1 October this year. The exhibition, which is planned to run for two weeks from Friday 23 September, is timed to coincide with that 40^th Anniversary Concert, taking place in the Mitchell Theatre. Both the exhibition and the concert are funded by Unite the union, the inheritor of many of the members of unions involved in the work-in.

Shop Steward and UCS Co-ordinating Committee member, Jimmy Cloughley said

“It is important that the material stored in the archives in Glasgow and Caledonian Universities is seen by as many people as possible. The significance of the UCS work-in to todays struggles, is now being widely recognised. The fightback against the economic attacks on working people can learn many lessons from UCS.”

The material on display includes; contemporary cartoons by Bobby Starrett - the work-in’s own cartoonist - publicity material produced by the stewards to spread the word about the work-in and some of the public responses including a replica of the card attached to the bunch of roses sent to the work-in by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It also features some of the exhibition panels produced ten years ago by Govan Workspace to mark the 30^th Anniversary. 

Much of the material will also feature in an audio-visual presentation that has been compiled to allow the exhibition material to be circulated more widely.

Guest of Honour at the concert will be Tony Benn, the former Labour Minister who set up the UCS consortium, and became a prominent supporter of the work-in. Other artistes playing include Pat Kane; Jimmie Macgregor; Dave Anderson; Arthur Johnstone; Elaine C Smith; Rab Noakes; Fraser Speirs; Kevin McDermott; Simone Welsh;  Well-known folk singer, Dick Gaughan has also been added to the guest list.

The work-in started in 1971 when the then Tory government removed funding from the UCS yards and planned to close and sell them off. This provoked the Stewards Co-ordinating Committee to declare a ‘work-in’ which attracted huge support from Scotland, the rest of the UK, and around the world.

ENDS