James McKechnie
1999/162 James McKechnie interviewed at his home by Dr Heather Holmes on 26 October 1999
000 Women supervisors; Betty Finnie as a communist; women in supervisory roles; departments
041 Transfering from one department to another
052 Machine folding; difficulties of printing Robert Carrier cookbook
067 Mistakes in jobs; printing of Scotsman calendar
098 Looking out for mistakes
110 Swahili books; working with foreign language books
121 Printing of President of Gold Coast’s biography; payment for work; work on the book
137 Prestige of volumes; work on Mormon Bible
156 Printing of Revised Standard Version of Bible; development
166 Difficult jobs; Bible work
175 Folding machines; numbers; work on machines
187 Awareness of easy and difficult jobs
195 Relieving monotony
201 Talking; learning general knowledge
210 Good work environment; size of Nelsons
217 Reputation of South Hall
223 Hierarchy of trades; status of binders
239 Foundry; closure of foundry; transfer of one foundry worker to labouring
260 Method study; reaction of Ronnie Nelson
281 Timesheets; filling in sheets; Nelson’s reaction to method study
291 Pressure and laxity of work rates
300 Rush jobs; nights for overtime; Sunday working and rates of pay
310 Shift working; hours of shifts; breaks; attitudes to working shifts
332 Work hours; time for lunch
335 Canteen; location; sports activities in canteen; equipment and duties of a cook
352 Quality of food; food; shortage of cutlery; types of food
377 Food on Christmas day given free of charge
386 Tea and tea making; tea making rules
397 Cocoa for apprentices; mugs; time when cocoa given; tea
413 Tea; drinking of coffee
418 Milk given to workers undertaking bronzing; also working with some types of lead
431 Welfare; house at Pomethorn; weekend trips
446 Allotments; location; pond and pond clearance
455 Allotments; application; greenhouses; growing of fruit and vegetables; competitive spirit; sheepdung from Holyrood for fertiliser
472 Rivalry for best crop
475 Use of glass plates in allotments; use dung; food rationing; decline in use of allotments; abandonment
494 Layout of factory; location of departments
501 Binderies; reaction if jobs went wrong
507 Relations between men and women
510 Employment of family members; common feature of industry
525 Reputation of Nelsons as an employer
530 Moving of women from Nelsons to other firms at slack periods
538 Farming out of workers; observations on other companies; moving workers; agreement with union branch
564 Movement of workers; workers leaving and joining Nelsons
576 Decline of Nelsons; hearing of Nelson takeover; broken promises of new management
615 Slowing down of orders; less overtime work
462 Changes in printing industry
653 Chapel activities; work of Father of Chapel; dealing with problems; procedures
995 Strength of chapel; union membership; paid weekly contributions; payment of rates for apprentices and journeymen
714 Calling up of meetings; meetings over issue of dilutees; times of meetings; number of meetings over dilutees; attitude towards dilutees
741 Meetings to end employment of dilutees
746 Attitudes towards dilutees
754 Frequency of meetings; location and subject of meetings; role of women; Mother of Chapel; non-appointment of Mother of Chapel
796 Presence of Mother of Chapel and Father of Chapel
804 Representative of women
807 Positions on chapel committee
813 Collection of dues; collection method; time of collection
803 Representation on union branch; union meetings and time
835 Attendance at union meetings
846 Status distinctions between employer and employee
850 Relations with authority
857 Reputation of gaffers; bad gaffers
849 Reputation of Jimmy Henderson
875 Male managers and women overseers; relations
881 Expression of community in nelsons
888 Treatment of Nelson and non-Nelsonians; reactions to non-Nelsonian incomers
906 Employment of Catholics; numbers of Catholics
916 Contact with Ronnie Nelson; clothing; raincoat; opening the door for Ronnie Nelson
931 Ronnie Nelson tight for money; house and housekeeper; Ronnie and drink
947 Ronnie and his interest in trains
957 Stories going around the factory; methods of spreading news; watching out for Ronnie coming round the factoryEND