Life After The Steel Works

[crookedspire]

IV read a book called 'Survivor's Of The Steel City' it documents life after the steel works closed during the late 1970s and 1980s . The book follows a few ex steel workers and what happened to them it's interesting reading. How did the city change after the works started to close on a economic and social side , did the East end become a derelict wasteland ( IV seen a few photos of Attercliffe at that time) . Do you think the steel works could have Survived or would have closed anyway?

[TORONTONY]

IV read a book called 'Survivor's Of The Steel City' it documents life after the steel works closed during the late 1970s and 1980s . The book follows a few ex steel workers and what happened to them it's interesting reading. How did the city change after the works started to close on a economic and social side , did the East end become a derelict wasteland ( IV seen a few photos of Attercliffe at that time) . Do you think the steel works could have Survived or would have closed anyway?

 

They could never have competed with half price steel from abroad? Quality of product took a back seat to cheap steel made by non unionised cheap labour, like almost everything else in the manufacturing sector, and it is already showing up big time in other industries. Of course our unions were partly to blame by demanding wage increases when Britain was battling the cheaper products coming in from abroad. In a nutshell, we priced ourselves out of the market. I basically got out before it got really bad in 1981, getting a job abroad and am still in Canada now. Actually it was not good when I left as a lot of my friends envied me , good tradesmen , all out of work. So sad to see the fore runner of all types of smelted steel be a wasteland of jobless people.

[noodles1961]

We are going through this now In South Australia. Cause of importing Chinese Cheap Steel

[pattricia]

We are going through this now In South Australia. Cause of importing Chinese Cheap Steel

 

The same thing happened to the Sheffield Cutlery Industry. Our highly qualified tradesmen put out of work by China !

[noodles1961]

Its Sad that the world will be relying on Chinese Steel. Hope war doesn't break out.

[Eric Arthur]

Nobody was put out of work by a competitor. It was consumers who made the choice and the firms couldn't compete for a variety of reasons from unionisation to old technology to poor management to government policy.

[samssong]

The same thing happened to the Sheffield Cutlery Industry. Our highly qualified tradesmen put out of work by China !

Sheffields steel industries suffered due to cheap steel and cutlery coming in from abroad.

Our own Davy United helped in this by setting up and building some of those over seas plants [although others from other Countries would have if not us].

 

Viners a Sheffield trademark company stamped cheap cutlery from abroad with the Sheffield name ,this is sold in all the top shops tricking people into thinking that they are buying quality when in fact the product is crap.

Did or does the Government cause a stink about this underhand practice ,well no they do not which raises the point its not what you know but who you know or what club you belong to.

 

As a result of the above practices many of Sheffield's young are left on the scrap heap due to the traditional jobs that their family's have been engaged in for hundreds of years no longer available . these kids are then referred to as Chavs or feckless by the so called middle classes the same people that where responsible for their down fall in the first place.

 

So the shelf stackers of today are the skilled tradesmen and women of bygone Sheffield who would serve seven years apprenticeships to earn the skills req.

 

Ironically the shops and super markets are now offering apprentice ships in SHELF STACKING or to put it in perspective cheap labour a system once again inflicted on the poorer and uneducated sections of our society who can now see no way out from the predicament that has become their lot.

[teecee75]

Sheffields steel industries suffered due to cheap steel and cutlery coming in from abroad.

Our own Davy United helped in this by setting up and building some of those over seas plants [although others from other Countries would have if not us].

 

Viners a Sheffield trademark company stamped cheap cutlery from abroad with the Sheffield name ,this is sold in all the top shops tricking people into thinking that they are buying quality when in fact the product is crap.

Did or does the Government cause a stink about this underhand practice ,well no they do not which raises the point its not what you know but who you know or what club you belong to.

 

As a result of the above practices many of Sheffield's young are left on the scrap heap due to the traditional jobs that their family's have been engaged in for hundreds of years no longer available . these kids are then referred to as Chavs or feckless by the so called middle classes the same people that where responsible for their down fall in the first place.

 

So the shelf stackers of today are the skilled tradesmen and women of bygone Sheffield who would serve seven years apprenticeships to earn the skills req.

 

Ironically the shops and super markets are now offering apprentice ships in SHELF STACKING or to put it in perspective cheap labour a system once again inflicted on the poorer and uneducated sections of our society who can now see no way out from the predicament that has become their lot.

 

 

Last time I checked there was a big wide world out there full of opportunities.

Stop living in the past.

[trastrick]

Last time I checked there was a big wide world out there full of opportunities.

Stop living in the past.

 

You can't rely on "traditional" industries to keep you and your family employed forever Change, or die.

 

Back when I was a 7 year apprentice, "made in Japan" was a huge joke. "Made in China" was even more of a laugh.

 

They changed!

[Interlaken]

We live in a constantly changing world and that is hard to accept when industries are out priced by newcomers and jobs lost. Too many countries producing steel has led to a change in the markets - but is the quality of foreign steel crap? No it's not.

 

It always makes me laugh when I hear the North East going on about what brilliant ships they built. We haven't built a decent ship here since around 1950. Take a look at how they do it in Japan and now that has lost market share to South Korea and upcoming is China. There is no way we could compete with their methods though plenty of Brits are out there overseeing the builds in these high tech sites. Been and seen it myself.

 

I never understand why sons are expected to follow fathers in cutlery, steel or down the pit. They were dirty, dangerous jobs and some knew no other work. Time to move on. Some kids will always just want or suit shelf stacking but there are other choices if they just think outside the old ways and maybe outside of S Yorks.