The DeLorean Story by Sutton Nick

Author:Sutton, Nick
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nick Sutton
Published: 2014-12-04T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Life in the factory and the darker side of Belfast

‘To live the dream’ was a phrase coined by the DeLorean marketing team, but it could equally have applied to those seeking work in the new high tech DeLorean factory in Dunmurry. Who was this man, John DeLorean, arriving like manna from heaven in an area of high unemployment where to dream was the territory of the unwise? His film-star looks, his beautiful wife and a car from the next century all seemed too good to be true. All this was coming to Dunmurry. Who could believe it?

By the time of the groundbreaking ceremony in October 1978 800 people had applied for jobs at the factory. Many were unemployed; others that were in employment were ready to leave their current job to work for John DeLorean. This venture was too good an opportunity to miss. Some applicants wrote to John DeLorean in New York, others to the site in Dunmurry, while many contacted the Department of Commerce in Belfast. After they’d completed the application form, and if they looked suitable, an interview was next. If they were lucky they would get the offer of a job.

At the start of their employment each new employee was supplied with a brochure which outlined the DeLorean programme. This included details of the size of the site, the individual buildings and their purpose, information about the car, including how it was to be constructed, and specifications of the PRV engine and Renault gearbox.

Terms and conditions of employment were explained, as were the company’s policies on sectarian images and religious tolerance within the workplace. Some of the larger manufacturing concerns in Belfast allowed national flags, sectarian football shirts, religious images and other provocative material to be shown or worn in the workplace, but the DeLorean management insisted that these things had no place in their factory. Any clothing that could be regarded as confrontational was banned, as were Catholic images or photographs of the Pope and the Holy Cross, or equivalent Protestant images or clothing, or pictures of the Queen. No calendars or posters of any sort adorned the offices or the factory walls; only material supplied by the company was permitted. Any default was dealt with immediately and effectively.

One local woman accepted for employment after her initial interview was Bridie Johnston. She worked on the engine dress line in the assembly area; her shift started at 6am. She was out of bed before five o’clock to allow time to prepare the day ahead for herself and her youngest child. It was a short walk of a few hundred yards to the factory from her house in Twinbrook, just across the road from the DeLorean plant. Bridie was one of the thousand employees that started work in midsummer 1981 to meet the manufacturing schedule of 80 cars a day. Her job was to attach the engine harnesses and fuel pipes to the PRV engine. Bridie worked hard and during the time she was employed by DMCL, like many others, she didn’t take any sick leave.

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