Parliament debate on Caterpillar anniversary
Thirty years since factory occupation made headlines
The thirtieth anniversary of the Caterpillar factory occupation was marked with a debate in the Scottish Parliament last week.
Among those who attended were former Caterpillar union convener John Brannan and former shop stewards John Gillen and Bob Burrows.
Richard Lyle, the Uddingston and Bellshill MSP, said: “Work has been done to recognise the Caterpillar workers’ contribution in our community, including the 25th anniversary reunion, which planted in the minds of the former workers who attended it the seed of the idea to build a memorial to the factory and the occupation, which has subsequently come to fruition.
“Now, every time that I drive from my surgery in Viewpark to other surgery venues, I pass by the memorial to the workers, and am proud to represent a constituency that has such a story to tell.
“That the workers at the Caterpillar site are a true testament to the effectiveness of workers employing direct action to highlight their issue cannot be overstated; nor can the fact that, by standing up together, they showed that they could not only galvanise their colleagues’ support but instil the same desire to stand up for what is right in so many in the community who joined them in their action for fairness.”
Central Scotland MSP Richard Leonard brought the matter to the parliament and his motion was supported by 25 MSPS – 14 Labour, nine SNP and two Green.
They included fellow Central Scotland Labour list MSP Monica Lennon; Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse SNP MSP Christina Mckelvie; and Richard Lyle.
Mr Leonard said after the debate: “For too long we have not properly recognised working class history, and marking the Caterpillar occupation is an important step forward.
“The workers who defied their bosses serve as a beacon for us even today. I was delighted that so many of those workers could join me in the Parliament this week.
“The most enduring lesson of the occupation is that when working people organise, and rise up against injustice they can bring about change.”
Fellow Central Scotland MSP Margaret Mitchell said: “The debate is testament to the fact that lessons can be learned from the past, including on the value of open lines of communication between workers and management and on the need for maximum support for the affected workforce when closures are announced, as will inevitably continue to happen.”
Central Scotland MSP Elaine Smith added: “Unfortunately, however, many people in Lanarkshire are still fighting for their very existence, facing unemployment, working on zero-hours contracts with inadequate benefits and no secure home and depending on food banks. That is not the legacy that our working-class trade union ancestors wanted for our area.
“We must look to examples such as the Caterpillar struggle to push us on for a new struggle, although it is much same as the one that we have always fought: standing up to the injustice and greed of those at the top and demanding equality and fairness for ordinary working people.”
The Minister for Employability and Training, Jamie Hepburn, said: I think that all members can understand and sympathise with the sense of betrayal that prompted the occupation.
“The actions of Caterpillar in 1987 dramatically changed the lives of not just the people in the workforce in Uddingston, who embarked on a 103-day fight for their jobs, but their families and people in the wider community. We must learn from the experiences of the workers at Caterpillar and from other industrial disputes down the years, which must inform our thinking.”