Private steel closure
Socialist Press1980 1980-02-20Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 10 →
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Last Tuesday 850 workers at Osborne dadfields, - the casting ractory in Sheffield were told that the factory was to close.
On May 9 the cies are to begin, and by 25 total closedown:
They have been told that the reason behind this is the recession in demand for castings, with sales down by 50% in the last two years.
In the ' last 18 months Osborne Hadfields, the largest foundry owned by the Weir group, has lost £2 million.
few months ago a smaller foundry owned by the Weir group in Cumbria closed with no resistance from the workforce, putting 150 workers on the dole.
There are three other foundries owned by the Weir group. The main one is Cottons in Leeds; the others are Toplins in Sunderland which employs about 400, and Holbrook Precision Castings near Sheffield. All these are still making profits.
This is now being used to divide the workforce so that work can be transferred to other plants. Management have told workers in places like Cottons that it is in their interest that Osborne Hadfields closes because it will create more work for the other factories in the group.
But in reality the crisis of capitalism is forcing firms to the wall. The only way forward is for Osborne Hadfield workers to occupy against closure, and call on workers in Cottons and Weir's biggest factory. Pump and Valves at Carthcarte, Glasgow to support their struggle by immediate blacking of all transferred work.
Groups like the Weir group who make their protits from the nationalised steel industry should be nationalised without compensation as part of planned steel industry.