Archive Training at Valance House Museum

Great day.

What is an archive?

Original and unique.
Products/activities of an individual or an organisation
Evidence
Primary source for historical research

Any format - paper, digital, sound, clay tablets, perfume etc

Museums tend to do objects
Archives tend to do paper type records.
Local studies tend to have secondary sources.

Care in an archive - temperature and humidity controlled; acid free; careful handling; handle photos by edges.

Structure - arranged by curator.
Maintain the original order, in order to demonstrate the original purpose of the record;
Show the relationship between records of the same organisation.
NOT a library catalogue.

valancehousecollections.co.uk
localstudies@LBBD.gov.uk

Important Acts for Women and Factories research.

1909 Trade Boards Act
Entrenched differential of pay between men and women.  3d per hour for women; 6d per hour men.  Applied to paperbox making, tailoring lace finishing; chainmaking.  Female industries.

1911 National Insurance Act
Industrial workers only.  Covered health insurance for employees only.  Not for self employed or homeworking.

Sheila Coyne Barking Books Made in Dagenham.

Using the Archive

Ford Bulletin 5/7/68 p7-8
Female got "20% more" but no rate of pay given.  So just how low was the original rate of pay?
Average increase for male and female staff was 11%.
"Deliberately generous" according to Ford management
"Objective evaluation" scheme is not detailed.  Was the objective quality based on masculinist values?

Ford Bulletin 5/7/68 p7
Masculinist values - 'consider the most valuable asset - the employees'

Job evaluation exercise - does not give criteria.
'The position of women employees in our wages structure represents a considerable step forward'.  But does not explain whether it is compliant with the law.  Does not mention legal requirements at all.

Ford Bulletin Vol 8 Iss 280

Badly written - asks questions and does not answer them directly.
- Why not pursued to JNC?
- Why was dispute not made official via procedure?
- Why a dispute was raised on an unregistered claim?
- Why did the union support a picket the day after agreement by the National Officer?
- Why did the River Plant Convener not allow a review?
- What can ensure agreements are not broken at will?

Basically the procedure was exhausted; the local reps under-estimated the strength of feeling of the local women workers (ie ignored women workers); fact finding exercises were based on masculinist values.

Ford Bulletin - sexist - very much on lines of The Sun with scantily clad p3 women, and anti-women cartoons.

Ford News 23/11/84.  p7

Union recommend agreement to offer arising from strike.  Union states significant improvements in cash and benefits to all employees.  Increases labour costs by 9%.

Ford News 14/2/84 -p5

Grandad making wedding dress - implies anyone can do machinist work.

Notoriously Militant - The Story of A Union Branch - Sheila Cohen. 2013 Merlin Press

1968

p90 Claiming for skilled C grade.

p88 Union claimed 'equal pay'.  Women wanted C grade, not equal pay.  C grade was semi-skilled.  They were in B grade - unskilled.  The new wage structure discriminated against women.

Equal Pay Act - equal pay for like work, not equal pay for work of equal value.

The women were in B grade.  Most production line were B.  Management were worried about consequential claims if the women were upgraded.

However by 1984 (the next strike), women machinists were the only B grade workers needing a Certificate of Competence.  All C grade workers had to have a certificate of competence.  Having argued for this for 16+ years, there was a walkout.

p136. Just In Time - very few seats in stock due to new stocking procedures.
30/11 All out strike.

Management claimed women had equal pay with the Janitors.  This was not the issue - the women wanted the skilled C grade, not to be equal with unskilled staff.

p163 1990 Management created a fight among the workers.  Management contracted out

seats (affected the women machinists)
janitors (affected unskilled men)
caterers (affected women catering staff) and installed vending machines.
cleaning overalls (affected light duties staff) to Sketchley.

Just In Time processes linked to outsourcing.

Agreements & Conditions of Employment - Hourly paid employees - Jan1985.  

p48 3A Equal Pay .  Women paid same rate as men
p93 05234 Sewing Machinists B grade

Eastside Heritage Association are seeking photos of

prefabs
1950s and 60s fashions
Roundhouse tearoom
Clip of people dancing
Photos of asian/black people working in factories
Equal Pay Rally 1934
Ford Women Strikers