Tom, I know nothing about work practices in the shipyards, but both of my brothers worked there. I remember my older brother asking me to take his union money to the union man in John Street as he would not be able to work without paying his union dues. This must have been 1951. He was saving up to get married and hated being on strike. He just wanted to work and get paid. Unfortunately he used to say the skivers always managed to get union jobs. He has been dead for more than 20 years, but I still remember this. Fast forward to the 1970’s my husband worked on a Power Station. He was told by others who had worked at the Isle of Grain Power Station.you don’t see the managers fora job,you see the union men,in their nice cosy office, deciding if you could or couldn’t have a job. As the rail unions are threatening to disrupt the Queens Jubilee, it seems sadly little has changed.