| Description | Tape 1 Side A RONALD ANDREW MILLER MATHIESON born Glasgow 03.08.1948. Family details, names of siblings. Description of childhood home. Father worked as joiner in shipyards. Comparison of standards of discipline then and now. Relationship of current HR work to earlier ambitions, childhood life. Explanation of essential aspect of HR work. Details re father, Andrew Miller Mathieson, his background, large family etc; recollections of grandfather, his local standing, his problem with alcohol. Memories of granny, her dress etc. Explanation of family's Scottish work ethic. Comments on culture of work which has not changed. Comparison of cultural differences in industrial relations in UK, other countries, attitudes to strikes etc. Details re mother, her role in bringing up family. Education: details re schools attended, progress at school. Effect of negative approach of one primary teacher. Recollection of involvement in sport. Left school at 15. Details. Attitude to religion in family. Positive effect of negative experiences in youth. Explanation of feelings about reading, admiration of anonymous authorship. First employment as delivery boy working for butcher. Details. Sudden realisation of error re leaving school, enrolment for night school; has been studying ever since. Explains enjoyment of butchery delivery job, contact with customers.
Tape 1 Side B Recollections of work as butcher's delivery boy. Details re pay. Older brother a butcher. Applications to get apprenticeship in Rolls Royce etc but competition from sons of workers who got jobs. Explanation of career aspirations. Accepted at Fairfield Round Shipyard as apprentice. Apprentice Fitter, Barclay Curle, Shipbuilders, Glasgow (1964). Details re work with lathe etc working on ship parts. Explanation of shipbuilding process, why ship has a soul. Feelings of workers for ships. Comparison with an oil rig. Own cultural shift from middle class area to working class shipyard, different language, sense of humour etc. Shipyards very 'teamy'. Influence of teachers at secondary school, charge hand in shipbuilding yard. Role of supervising tradesman Donnie Butler. Mentions present day 'buddy' systems. Donnie's role in teaching technical, social, working skills; recalls non-respected workers. Background to employment as Industrial Engineer, Chrysler Motor Car Corporation (Rootes Group) (1967), tests involved at time of recruitment, eg Outward Bound School. Did another apprenticeship - as technician. Details re work in jig and tool design, industrial engineering, time study. Culture of Rootes. Beginnings of consciousness of oil industry. Background to move to Brown & Root Wimpey (Highland Fabricators) Nigg Bay (1972). Reference to Bill Murray, now HR Manager, AMEC. Details re recruitment work. Details re marriage, family. Explanation of impact of oil industry, brash American culture on local community, wage rates. Views of life expectancy of oil industry. Own plans, lifestyle at the time. Attitude of others to self, the guy from Glasgow, own early view of locals.
Tape 2 Side A Opinion re early American arrivals, their skill base. Attitude of Brown & Root management to American manning of senior positions. Mentions own experience later as first UK HR Manager for McDermotts. Union experience when with Chrysler; feelings about unions. Father's left political inclinations, own voting pattern. Brown & Root was non-union although unions were represented, collective agreement drawn up. Details re Industrial Relations Department, process. Beginning of own involvement with industrial relations. Most work at Brown & Root to do with recruitment. Details re construction of Highland I production platform, processes involved, man-hours per ton. Description of culture of company, American influence. Description of one memorable American, his attitudes, language. Reaction of Scots. Impact of Americans, Glaswegians on social structure; impact of changing fortunes of oil industry. Recruitment Officer, McDermott, Scotland (1973). Details re job. Background to getting job, increase in salary. Young age of workers in oil industry. Details re work being done at the time by McDermotts. Recollection of money being thrown around. Gives example of early American attitude to damage, accidents etc. Description of industrial relations at the time, own approach to union backgrounds of people recruited. Recalls company recruitment for AEU. Relationship with union still continues. Attitude of Americans to unions onshore and offshore. Recollection of significant characters in industry, community e.g. Gavin Laird, Norman McDonald, Tom Sanderson, Rab Roy, Jimmy Gray; work stoppages etc. Importance of years 1973-77 in setting attitudes of company. Changes in attitudes to safety. Feelings about own role at the time.
Tape 2 Side B Employment Relations Officer, McDermott Scotland (1977). Details re job, staff numbers. 3-shift system forced in by company after bad stoppage, hostility. Details. Own attitude, involvement with working new shift system. All time low for management/union relationship. Feelings about own role, adversarial approach. Unions nationally alert to wider political considerations re companies meeting targets etc. Attitudes of unions locally. Impact of job on personal life, relationships at work. Health and Safety issues often resulted in confrontations. Details. Impact on local community in wages, growth of Inverness etc. Recollection of 1979 offshore strike; outcome was Hookup Agreement. Little impact on onshore fabrication. Disintegration of 3-shift system. Explanation of evolution of more harmonious period of industrial relations. Management changes to HR scene, change to adversarial culture. Reference to Employment Protection Act. Personnel Manager, McDermott International (1981). Explanation of difficulty adjusting to work with North Sea marine fleet - barge crews etc. Changes to procedure. Barge crews non-union; explains their culture, difference in attitude to unions on fixed platforms. Reference to hookup, maintenance contracts. Attitude of companies to post-hookup union involvement. Own role in deregulation of an entire workforce. Impact of competition with rivals. Reaction of people to deregulation, own role. Own design of package for workers; no problems with workers, union officials. Details. Difficulties faced by workforce without a power base. Attitude of Dan Carrigan, Tommy Lafferty, Jimmy McCartney; attitude of clients, e.g. Shell. Comments on OILC, hookup agreement, role of UKOOA, contracting companies. Surprise that unions went along with arrangements.
Tape 3 Side A Hookup Agreement a key point. Details. Recollection of challenge of job as Personnel Manager, Division Personnel Manager, McDermott, Aberdeen. Appointed Employee Relations Manager, McDermott Scotland (1987). Significance of this job in career, details re responsibilities. Impact of Piper Alpha on onshore work where safety culture already advanced. Details re 2 deaths during construction of Piper replacement. Effect of this on self and colleagues, reasons for accident, ways it might have been averted. Explanation of own role in job, industrial relations, union negotiations etc. Impact of Jimmy Gray. Feelings about building oil installations, comparison with shipbuilding. Reorganisation of McDermotts because of changes in oil industry. Rewarding nature of job. Description of own style of management. Human Resource Manager, Brown & Root McDermott Fabricators (Barmac) (1995). Explanation of bringing two workforces together. Contrasts Brown & Root and McDermott people. Current situation for Barmac which is major employer in fabrication industry. Details of own role as consultant since retirement. Other work with University of the Highlands, Inverness Medical, Highlands Enterprise. Mentions enjoyment of golf.
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