JOE BOWERS - SHOP STEWARD
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Introduction
This interview was carried out as part of the Topography of Titanic exhibition. Ruth Graham talked to 11 people in early 2003 who worked in the shipyards or who have a great interest in the Titanic, 9 of these are available here. Ruth Graham kindly supplied this interview summary.
Joe Bowers
Shop Steward
Joe Bowers
Listen to Joe Bowers (00:15:02) | Read Transcript
"I believe there was a future for shipbuilding in Belfast and that the destruction of the skills in the shipyard was almost a crime."
Joe Bowers has a hefty CV. Until recently he was a Regional Officer of the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union (MSF). He was formerly a member of the Industrial Tribunals and the Industrial Court, Past President of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions and a former member of the NI Economic Council. He was also an executive committee member of ICTU and past chair of its Northern Ireland committee but above he is a committed trade union activist. In his interview, Mr Bowers lamented the decline of shipbuilding and the degree to which the unique skills built up over generations were now being wasted. He also pointed out the negative effects of the redundancies on communities and young people who were growing up without a sense of hope for the future.