Cape shutdown as 270 out on strike

Production at Stirling’s Cape Insulation was at a standstill because of a strike by 270 workers, the Observer of July, 1984 reported.

The men walked out after rejecting a three per cent pay rise back-dated to June 1 of that year.

Shop stewards said discussions with bosses were deadlocked.

Wage negotiation had been taking place for several weeks and at first the company offered no rise until January of the following year.

That was rejected, prompting further talks which led to the three per cent offer which was put to workers before their two-week annual holiday.

When that was rejected, the men, some of whom are pictured, said if there was no better offer when they returned to work after the break, they would take industrial action.

Union chiefs said the workers were prepared to stay out until a better offer was made.

Although nothing was being produced at the plant, its furnances were being kept going and that, said the company, was costing them several thousand pounds a week.

In a later issue of the Observer, the paper reported that the Cape workers had returned to work after the five-day strike.

Management increased the wage offer from three per cent to five per cent and the higher figure was accepted by the workforce at a mass meeting.

Union spokesman Tom Cowan said the five per cent deal fell two per cent short of the minimum they wanted

. He added, however, that members were `fairly pleased’ considering management had initially offered no wage rise for six months.