Dundee-Glasgow WORK DIARY From STEPHEN SCOTLAND

Workers Press no. 805, 1 July 1972 · scan page 4

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FALKIRK is one the few towns in industrial belt of Scotland with a relative low rate of unemployment.

The source of this relative prosperity is the Grangemouth petrochemical site which sits on the south side of the Firth of Forth pouring its ugly pall of smoke over the water.

British Petroleum are masters here. With ICI, they control the economy of the hinterland which includes Falkirk.

The prosperity, however, is a façade which hides an ever-increasing drive for more efficiency and more productivity. The inevitable off-shoot of this campaign is redundancies.

Denis Bean, head of BP chemicals, warned Grangemouth and Falkirk this year:

'As far as 1972 is concerned I see no immediate improvement in the previous gloom which continues to affect the petro-chemical industry as a whole and our performance as a company.' His six-point battle plan to local managers included an increase in prices wherever possible, a reduction of costs, maximum productivity and withdrawal from operations that are not profitable or where the prospects are poor.

Grangemouth's works manager, Tom Curle, has already announced that several of the older plants on the site will be closed over the next two years and that some redundancy or 'natural wastage' is inevitable.

The cut-back extends to ICI as well. They plan a limited rundown of their Organic Division during the next 12 months.