Sammy Barr
| Samuel Alexander Barr | |
|---|---|
| Born |
20 December 1931 Glasgow |
| Died | 7 May 2012 (aged 80) Glasgow |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia, Cancer |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Sammy |
| Occupation | Ship's Welder |
| Known for | Trade Unionist, and UCS work-in veteran |
Samuel Alexander "Sammy" Barr was a British shipyard worker, trade unionist, and Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) work-in veteran. Barr was an "inspiring speaker" and organiser who was a "widely respected shop steward" of the Boilermakers' Society at the time of the "historic work-in" at the UCS in 1971. Barr was credited with coming up with the idea for a work-in, which gained a lot of publicity and forced the UK Government into a reversal, saving 6,000 jobs at the shipyard. Barr was a lifelong friend to fellow UCS activists Jimmy Airlie and Sammy Gilmore. Throughout his life he displayed "considerable political commitment" to the right to work, and protection for the rights of young working people, and also particularly to the protection of the Clyde shipyards.
Richard Leonard writes that "he was unquestionably one of the outstanding trade unionists of his generation, which was a generation of outstanding trade unionists".
Barr was born in Glasow in 1931. At the age of 15, Barr joined Charles Connell and Company in Scotstoun as an apprentice welder. He remained in the shipbuilding industry for his entire working life. Barr married Janet, had five children, and at the time of his death was a grandfather and great-grandfather.
As well as his involvement in politics and the trade unions, Barr is known to have written variously during his lifetime for journals such as Labour Monthly, the Daily Worker and the Morning Star.
Barr died in 2012, at the age of 80, after a short battle with lung cancer.
The crisis came about in the UK in 1971 when the new Conservative Government decided to stop subsidies provided to the shipbuilding industry., which they described as a "lame duck". This risked the redundancies of 6,000 of the 8,500 shipyard workers at UCS.
After the Government refused to help the UCS shipyard, an organising committee of worker representatives was formed. This committee came up with the idea of a work-in, rather than a strike. This led to mass rallies, and gained support for the workers from across the world.
In the short term, the UK Government, led by Ted Heath, backed down and were forced into an embarrassing u-turn on the immediate future of the shipyard. Immediately the UK Government announced a package of £35 million investment into the future of the yards, and within three years, shipbuilding on the Upper Clyde had received about £101 million of public grants.
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