A World of Metal Boxes - Part 1

Fortunately, I became accustomed to"work" when I turned 16. Apart from occasionally being paid as a church choir boy for weddings, I remember receiving a half-crown coin (12.5p) for each wedding I sang at. Unfortunately, it didn't last long as I couldn't sing. My voice was flat and toneless.

When I was thirteen, my mum and dad allowed and encouraged me to take on a newspaper round to supplement my pocket money. At that time, newspaper rounds were early morning activities done before school. I would start my round around 6:00 am and finish about 7:30 am. This gave me a little time to have breakfast and get ready for school before cycling there. In those days, paper rounds could be challenging. Most houses had a newspaper delivery, and Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays were particularly tough as the paper bags we carried were much heavier on those days because we had to deliver TV listing magazines on Thursdays, local newspapers on Fridays, on Sundays, there were paper supplements all in addition to the regular newspapers. My first round paid ten shillings (50p) a week; the second, longer round paid fifteen shillings (75p) weekly. Newspapers were delivered seven days a week, except on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas Day.

I also worked as a delivery boy for the local village store. Being a delivery boy meant riding an old-fashioned bike with a front basket and a small front wheel. The bicycle was cumbersome even without groceries loaded in boxes on the front and was extremely heavy when loaded. It had no gears; some delivery journeys were several miles long with many hills to climb.

In August 1971, the sixteenth I remember, the big day came - the first day of my apprenticeship. For the next four years, until my 20th birthday in 1975, I would be an engineering apprentice at the Metal Box factory in Strood, although officially it was called Metal Box Rochester. Rochester is a much nicer town than a very industrialised Strood! For the first two years, I would be based in the apprentice training school, working from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday, with thirty minutes for lunch, gaining essential skills. I would then work on the factory production floor for two years. During my apprenticeship, I also attended technical college one day and one evening a week. Apprentices earned much less than experienced engineers, but it was still better pay than the newspaper rounds and my job as a shop delivery boy. I still remember my first pay packet at the end of my first week, which was about £5.25. Also, in 1971, the country changed to a decimal-based currency, and we lost pounds, shillings, and pence and gained pounds and pence. It was easy to adapt as a young person just starting at work, although many older people struggled with the change. Some shopkeepers were accused of cheating, mainly by rounding prices up. Sometimes, something that used to cost half a crown (2 shillings and 6 pence) that should have become 12.5 pence might be rounded to 13 pence.

Significant industrial and political changes and turmoil marked the four years of my apprenticeship. There were oil shortages, powerful strikes, and other industrial disruptions. Electricity supplies were sometimes limited, and parts of the factory had to close two or three days each week, with employees putting on reduced working hours. However, my memories of that time are favourable. It was a pleasant workplace, and everybody was friendly and helpful. The company's owners always wanted to do their best for the employees. I can't recall any industrial disputes in the factory due to internal working conditions or issues. Any problems that arose were externally forced upon the management and the staff. Working conditions for employees were generally good. During my time there, there was a significant focus on getting everyone who worked on or accessed the factory floor to wear hearing protection. The factory was very noisy, with all those metal cans rolling around causing a lot of noise. It was challenging to converse with someone standing right next to you. There was a lot of education about noise, and everyone had their hearing tested regularly. We were all encouraged to wear hearing protectors provided by the company.

One of the first fundamental lessons learnt at Metal Box was punctuality. All factory workers, including apprentices, had to clock in and out at the beginning and end of the day and for lunch breaks. If you were late at the start of the working day, you had a grace period of one minute and fifty-nine seconds before losing fifteen minutes' pay. You only had a fifty-nine-second grace period at lunch breaks before losing fifteen minutes' pay. Habitual lateness could result in disciplinary action and potential job termination. There was a strong sense of peer pressure on the factory floor to be on time and arrive slightly early. The factory mainly operated on a two-shift system - an early morning shift from 6 am to 2 pm and a late afternoon shift from 2 pm to 10 pm. Each week, you would work on alternating shifts. At 6 am sharp, the production lines were expected to start, and the foremen were always present to lead and encourage everyone to ensure each line started as quickly as possible. If someone was late, it could cause delays. During the shift changeover at 2 pm, it was challenging for the morning shift workers to leave their positions if the afternoon shift workers arrived late. However, people were generally good-natured and tried to help their friends and colleagues on the alternative shift.