1993 Dundee Timex Strike

Timex strike
Date	29 January – 28 August 1993
Location	Dundee, Scotland
Caused by	Cut in pay Layoffs of some workers
Goals	Prevent workers from being laid off Demands for better pay
Methods	Strike action Mass picketing
Resulted in	Closure of Timex factory in Dundee after 47 years Workers of Timex factory made unemployed
Parties
Timex Corporation Protesters Striking workers
Number
3,000+ protesters (not all involved in violence)
Casualties
Death(s)	None
Injuries	Various
Arrested	38

The 1993 Dundee Timex strike was a major industrial dispute which took place in Dundee, Scotland, in 1993. The dispute, which was notable for its level of picket-line violence and the involvement of women, ended with the closure of the Timex plant in the city after 47 years. It's considered by historians to be the last of the large industrial disputes of late 20th century Britain.

Background

The Timex Corporation established itself as a major employer in Dundee after World War II due to generous incentives by local government. It set up at two campuses in the city: one at Milton and another at Camperdown. These two facilities were divided along gender lines and speciality. The Milton plant was 60 per cent male and predominantly produced tools and components. Camperdown however was 80 per cent female and did the assembly work. In 1966, Timex was the third largest single employer in Dundee, and the single largest employer of women. It peaked at 6,000 total workers in 1974, which made it one of the city's largest employers and gave it a unique place in the culture of Dundee.

Dundee's other large employer of women in the mid to late 20th century was the jute industry. However, Timex's assembly line paid significantly better, making it a more attractive option for many young women. Additionally, as jute manufacturing contracted in the city in the 1950s and 1960s, Timex absorbed much of the skilled workforce. These jobs offered better pay and conditions; for the men they doubled their earnings.

1983 Strike and Milton Closure

With the introduction of the digital watch, demand for mechanical watches like the ones produced at Timex in Dundee collapsed. Timex management took the decision to diversify their manufacturing in Dundee, beginning in the early 1970s with contracts to produce Polaroid and Nimslo 3-D cameras. These contracts primarily relied on the female assembly worker who could pivot easily from assembling delicate mechanical components to delicate electronic components. Initially, the mostly male workers at Milton were in support of the new shift towards electronics as it was done in consultation with the AEU. The manufacture of the Nimslo 3-D was developed using public–private partnership money and the skills of the union engineers at Timex Dundee. By 1982, the workforce had reduced to 4,200, mostly through normal wastage and staff turnover.

However, in 1981 or 1982 a new director of manufacturing who had previously managed electronics factories in Pinochet's Chile, changed the relationship between the unionised workforce and management.

The mostly male workers at the Milton plant became superfluous to this type of manufacture in Dundee as they produced watch components to be assembled at Camperdown.

The facility had enjoyed a temporary reprieve in the early part of the decade due to Timex's contract with Sinclair Research to manufacture its personal computer products (principally the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum), which sold in huge numbers. However, Sinclair's computer business was bought out in 1986 by Amstrad, who ended the lucrative contract, and once again the factory fell upon bad times. This ultimately led to attempts to reduce wages and cut the size of the workforce. These attempts were resisted by the workers and their trade union.

Strike

In early January 1993, there were proposed layoffs at the factory. A ballot for strike action came out at 92% in favour, while requests for negotiation and arbitration were ignored. On 29 January, the workers came out on strike. They offered to return to work on 17 February; however, they were told that there would be a cut of 10% across the board. When they refused to accept those conditions, they were locked out. Strikebreakers were brought in daily on Moffat and Williamson buses to break the picket line and replace the striking workers.

On 28 August 1993, the factory shut, following six months of industrial unrest.

Legacy

In 1971, 42 per cent of people in employment in Dundee where employed in manufacturing. By 2001, that number was 15.2 per cent. The manufacturing sector in Dundee never recovered from the loss of the jobs at Milton and then the jobs at Camperdown. Many people involved with the 1993 strike struggled to find work afterwards. Although the 1983 strike and subsequent job losses had a bigger impact on employment in the city, the 1993 strike is the one that has entered popular memory.

The strike has been the subject of a play and an exhibition at the University of Dundee. A collection of records relating to the strike is held by the university's Archive Services.

It is possible to draw a through line from the presence of Timex in the city, especially its manufacture of early personal computers, to modern Dundee's video game industry, which has produced games such as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto.