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Growing Pains - Page Two
Around 1975 there were signs that the area had reached the top of it's development curve. Employment at Nigg and Shand were intermittent. Following its takeover by British Pipecoaters, Shand had closed and even Invergordon Distillery, the industry that started the regeneration of Easter Ross were laying off workers.
And then it came. On Hogmanay 1981 the smelter shut. People who had come off the night shift woke up the next afternoon and found themselves unemployed. Very much like JFK, people can still remember where they were and what they were doing when the news came through. The cost of energy was the factor cited by B.A. The sceptics in the late 60's had, it seemed, been proved right. A workers committee was formed. Delegations went to Edinburgh and Westminster, but nothing could be done to reverse the decision.
These words from the 'Cruikit Rainbow' tells of the anguish and anger of the whole sorry saga. All the Union Officials Did the best they could do
As they sat around tables getting money for you
It wasn't them you'd agree Set the price of electricity
It's not us who failed, not us.
And the Action Group was formed To sit in at the smelter
And the company was warned That we wanted something better
Than a sudden closing down
Than a total closing down
It's not us who failed, not us
We fought Fletcher with snowballs
Sat with Thatcher at tea
Thought of all ways possible to stop redundancy
While the canteen staff's good food
Encouraged our positive mood
It's not us who failed, not us
We had help from the management
And the Citizen's Advice
And the support of a friend Helped to lessen the price
That we all had to pay Day after day after day
It's not us who failed, not us.
And when the talking stopped Aluminium went elsewhere
Members of Parliament forgot
Turned away, or just didn't care
We accepted next best,
The loan of the title Enterprise Zone
It's not us who failed, not us.
But in Alness we chose to stay
Evanton, Ardross, so we say
It's not us who failed, not us.
A year after the smelter closure over half the workers were still unemployed
