Emotional farewell to the end of an era
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Father and son recall 50 years’ service Report by Carl Jackson
[email protected] A father and son who between them have worked at Goodyear for more than half a century have spoken of their “heartbreak” at the firm’s closure. Gurdev Rai, aged 81, came from India to Wolverhampton in 1959 “empty-handed” but by the time he left the Bushbury Lane plant 21 years later he was a wealthy man. It was at the same point he effectively passed on the baton to his only son, Balwinder, who went on to serve nearly twice as long as his father and was one of the hundreds of workers who remained at the firm until today when production finally ceased. Now aged 57 and a father of three daughters, Balwinder said: “My time there has been beautiful. “It was a wonderful place for the people to work. There used to be over 7,000 people working there but it still felt like a family. “I am gutted it is closing down. It is heartbreaking.” Gurdev started life at Goodyear aged 23 after being employed briefly at Villiers Engineering in the city. For the first few years he worked on the production of small-sized tyres for vehicles such as motorcycles. In the early 1960s he was moved to the new racing division and it was there where the global-standing of the Goodyear name hit home, with the likes of Formula 1 legends Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham entrusting their lives to their manufacturing skills.
The Goodyear factory in the 1960s He said: “The Americans who owned the company used to say ‘only the best is good enough’. When the tyres were finished we used to X-ray them. Some countries didn’t even have the facilities to X-ray humans and we were doing it to tyres to check every little detail. “If it wasn’t perfect they would hand me a knife and say cut it and throw it away and I would say, ‘why?’. “They told me Jackie Stewart uses Goodyear tyres. If they break and he gets injured Goodyear is finished. They’ll say don’t buy Goodyear tyres.” But while the stakes were high, so was the recognition for success. Gurdev was presented with certificates
Balwinder Rai and his father Gurdav who both worked there
and accolades whenever the company reached a significant milestone on the track, which included the Spanish Grand Prix in 1976 when victory by Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi represented Goodyear’s 50th consecutive race win. Such was his pride and commitment to the company that in 1979, when Gurdev was presented with a 20 years’ service pin, company bosses told him he had actually worked 30 years due to the amount of overtime he had put in. The same year his standing in the company meant he was able to secure a job for his then 20-year-old son, Balwinder. But in 1980, due to spiralling costs, the racing division at Wolverhampton was
shut down, and although Gurdev was offered a job elsewhere in the plant, he took redundancy so he could return to India to see his parents. Meanwhile, Balwinder’s journey was just beginning. He started out working on the tractor tyres, which he did for about 15 years before moving on to the bands in Building 18. During the last decade or so he has worked out of the Banbury Room, better known as the Mill Room, dealing with the rubber and raw materials. But while his role has changed the unique atmosphere remained the same for decades. Balwinder said: “It was more like family than business.”
Workers’ sadness as Goodyear finally closes its doors
Emotional farewell to the end of an era Report by Jessica Labhart
[email protected]
FORMER Goodyear workers have expressed their “deep sadness” that the plant has closed its doors for the final time today.
The closure marks almost 90 years since the iconic company opened its doors and is the end of the era for the firm which first set up and produced tyres in the city in 1927.
Ahead of the closure, campaigners took to the streets outside the Bushbury Lane site yesterday to stage a “wake” to commemorate the company and its impact on the city. Wayne Devaney, aged 54, of Wednesfield, worked for 28 years at the plant until he was made redundant in January this year. He now works packaging yoghurts at Müller in Telford. He said: “I have a really deep sadness. It’s like losing somebody really close to you and going to the funeral to watch them be buried. “When somebody dies, you just keep asking why, why were they taken from me, and this feels the same – we still haven’t got the real answers as to why Goodyear is closing in Wolverhampton.”
Production has finally ended at the Goodyear plant in Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton
Forward
The final day of work will now be followed by a close-down period, estimated to end in June 2017. Initially, the plant was expected to close on December 31 but the date was brought forward to before Christmas. Those workers leaving the site today will leave 37 colleagues to work on completely closing down the site. By this Friday, 283 workers will have left the site. Mr Devaney added: “With everything that’s been happening, it’s brought it all back, the memories. “I’ve been keeping in touch with the lads ever since I left and they’ve been telling me how soul destroying it has been to strip everything down and ship it out.” Earlier this month, it was revealed that not one Wolverhampton worker has taken up the company’s offer to transfer to work in Mexico. Adrian Foster, aged 52, now lives in Penkridge, but used to live in Oxley when he worked at the plant and walked to work there every day for 32 years. He left
End of an era – Ray Egan during his protest at the plant on Friday. He said: “We shed our tears over the closure 18 months ago. “Hundreds of people have left since then. It is very disappointing. We all thought that we would see out our days there but it wasn’t to be. As they say, nothing lasts forever. I’ll be signing on soon.” He added: “Accountants close plants and it is just easier, quicker and cheaper
Workers at the Goodyear factory which is closing down
to transfer production to Europe. Wages in Europe are a fifth of what they are here. It was just easy for them to leave the UK, our laws mean that they only have to give 45 days’ notice of a closure whereas in France it can take years.” Plans to close down the site came to light in June 2015 and sparked major opposition from workers and unions. Goodyear chiefs confirmed in October last year
that the plant would be completely shut. Management said it had become commercially uneconomic due to falling sales and the value of the pound on international markets. Tyres are no longer made at the factory but it produces rubber compounds. In 2002, the site was sold to developer St Modwen. Since then, hundreds of homes have been built with more planned.
Shropshire Star Wednesday, December 21, 2016
FOCUS: END OF ERA
Father and son recall 50 years’ service Report by Carl Jackson
[email protected] A father and son who between them have worked at Goodyear for more than half a century have spoken of their “heartbreak” at the firm’s closure. Gurdev Rai, aged 81, came from India to Wolverhampton in 1959 “empty-handed” but by the time he left the Bushbury Lane plant 21 years later he was a wealthy man. It was at the same point he effectively passed on the baton to his only son, Balwinder, who went on to serve nearly twice as long as his father and was one of the hundreds of workers who remained at the firm until today when production finally ceased. Now aged 57 and a father of three daughters, Balwinder said: “My time there has been beautiful. “It was a wonderful place for the people to work. There used to be over 7,000 people working there but it still felt like a family. “I am gutted it is closing down. It is heartbreaking.” Gurdev started life at Goodyear aged 23 after being employed briefly at Villiers Engineering in the city. For the first few years he worked on the production of small-sized tyres for vehicles such as motorcycles. In the early 1960s he was moved to the new racing division and it was there where the global-standing of the Goodyear name hit home, with the likes of Formula 1 legends Jackie Stewart and Jack Brabham entrusting their lives to their manufacturing skills.
The Goodyear factory in the 1960s He said: “The Americans who owned the company used to say ‘only the best is good enough’. When the tyres were finished we used to X-ray them. Some countries didn’t even have the facilities to X-ray humans and we were doing it to tyres to check every little detail. “If it wasn’t perfect they would hand me a knife and say cut it and throw it away and I would say, ‘why?’. “They told me Jackie Stewart uses Goodyear tyres. If they break and he gets injured Goodyear is finished. They’ll say don’t buy Goodyear tyres.” But while the stakes were high, so was the recognition for success. Gurdev was presented with certificates
Balwinder Rai and his father Gurdav who both worked there
and accolades whenever the company reached a significant milestone on the track, which included the Spanish Grand Prix in 1976 when victory by Lotus driver Emerson Fittipaldi represented Goodyear’s 50th consecutive race win. Such was his pride and commitment to the company that in 1979, when Gurdev was presented with a 20 years’ service pin, company bosses told him he had actually worked 30 years due to the amount of overtime he had put in. The same year his standing in the company meant he was able to secure a job for his then 20-year-old son, Balwinder. But in 1980, due to spiralling costs, the racing division at Wolverhampton was
shut down, and although Gurdev was offered a job elsewhere in the plant, he took redundancy so he could return to India to see his parents. Meanwhile, Balwinder’s journey was just beginning. He started out working on the tractor tyres, which he did for about 15 years before moving on to the bands in Building 18. During the last decade or so he has worked out of the Banbury Room, better known as the Mill Room, dealing with the rubber and raw materials. But while his role has changed the unique atmosphere remained the same for decades. Balwinder said: “It was more like family than business.”
Workers’ sadness as Goodyear finally closes its doors
Emotional farewell to the end of an era Report by Jessica Labhart
[email protected]
FORMER Goodyear workers have expressed their “deep sadness” that the plant has closed its doors for the final time today.
The closure marks almost 90 years since the iconic company opened its doors and is the end of the era for the firm which first set up and produced tyres in the city in 1927.
Ahead of the closure, campaigners took to the streets outside the Bushbury Lane site yesterday to stage a “wake” to commemorate the company and its impact on the city. Wayne Devaney, aged 54, of Wednesfield, worked for 28 years at the plant until he was made redundant in January this year. He now works packaging yoghurts at Müller in Telford. He said: “I have a really deep sadness. It’s like losing somebody really close to you and going to the funeral to watch them be buried. “When somebody dies, you just keep asking why, why were they taken from me, and this feels the same – we still haven’t got the real answers as to why Goodyear is closing in Wolverhampton.”
Production has finally ended at the Goodyear plant in Bushbury Lane, Wolverhampton
Forward
The final day of work will now be followed by a close-down period, estimated to end in June 2017. Initially, the plant was expected to close on December 31 but the date was brought forward to before Christmas. Those workers leaving the site today will leave 37 colleagues to work on completely closing down the site. By this Friday, 283 workers will have left the site. Mr Devaney added: “With everything that’s been happening, it’s brought it all back, the memories. “I’ve been keeping in touch with the lads ever since I left and they’ve been telling me how soul destroying it has been to strip everything down and ship it out.” Earlier this month, it was revealed that not one Wolverhampton worker has taken up the company’s offer to transfer to work in Mexico. Adrian Foster, aged 52, now lives in Penkridge, but used to live in Oxley when he worked at the plant and walked to work there every day for 32 years. He left
End of an era – Ray Egan during his protest at the plant on Friday. He said: “We shed our tears over the closure 18 months ago. “Hundreds of people have left since then. It is very disappointing. We all thought that we would see out our days there but it wasn’t to be. As they say, nothing lasts forever. I’ll be signing on soon.” He added: “Accountants close plants and it is just easier, quicker and cheaper
Workers at the Goodyear factory which is closing down
to transfer production to Europe. Wages in Europe are a fifth of what they are here. It was just easy for them to leave the UK, our laws mean that they only have to give 45 days’ notice of a closure whereas in France it can take years.” Plans to close down the site came to light in June 2015 and sparked major opposition from workers and unions. Goodyear chiefs confirmed in October last year
that the plant would be completely shut. Management said it had become commercially uneconomic due to falling sales and the value of the pound on international markets. Tyres are no longer made at the factory but it produces rubber compounds. In 2002, the site was sold to developer St Modwen. Since then, hundreds of homes have been built with more planned.
Shropshire Star Wednesday, December 21, 2016
FOCUS: END OF ERA
