I found it difficult to watch the recent BBC Scotland documentary The Rise and Fall of Timex Dundee, despite the admirable stoicism and good humour of the largely female workforce.
It was a reminder of another pillar in the colosseum of industry in Dundee lost to financial interests and deplorably announced on Christmas Eve 1992.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/bbc-documentary-examines-the-deep-scars-left-from-dundee-timex-closure-26-years-on/
Sports broadcaster and journalist Jim Spence told me last week: “People knew dark days were coming if the Timex factory closed because everyone knew someone who worked there.”
He added: “When my dad died, he left a suit and a Timex watch. I kept the suit and put the watch in the bin. It would have been act of betrayal to wear it.”
The documentary was also a reminder of the tangible contribution Dundee women have made to the city.
In the documentary, former supervisor David Howie said: “I think Timex came to Dundee because of the women.
https://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/fp/unique-360-pictures-show-life-at-dundees-timex-factory/
“Dundee women were brought up in the jute industry and the dexterity of them was second to none.”
Mary MacGregor, from the Timex Support Group, added: “I want this strike to be remembered in terms of the bravery, courage and determination of those women on that picket line.
“They’re what that dispute was about. They sum up Dundee and Dundee women.”
With a knowing look, she added: “You don’t cross us.”
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