DavyMarkham - News
DavyMarkham Shop Stewards Work To Secure Firm's Future

Amidst all the financial doom and gloom, at least one Sheffield engineering company, DavyMarkham, is upbeat about its future and enjoying the wholehearted support of its union representatives and 180-strong workforce. So much so, that senior members of its Joint Shop Stewards Committee, Chairman Sam Wragg, Deputy Andy Tuohy and Secretary Mick Jay, have declared that union members are keen to work closely with management and address the challenges the company faces in an increasingly global marketplace.

"Our company is heading towards a much brighter future, thanks to the efforts of our MD, Kevin Parkin, and the JSSC wants to work with him in a spirit of collaboration and reach acceptable agreements that benefit the workforce and the company,' says Michael Jay. "We feel we can find the right solutions to the challenges we face by working collectively, in order to achieve our ultimate goals of secure jobs and better pay.'

Sam, Andy and Mick are officers of the 7-man JSSC, which represents the interests of the workforce at the firm's Darnall works, the vast majority of whom are members of Unite the Union. Each with between a dozen and twenty years' experience, the committee is made up of machinists, fabrication shop workers and crane slingers and together they reflect the origins of the current company, with Andy and Mick formerly from Markham in Chesterfield, while Sam and other long-standing Davy employees are mostly from Sheffield.

Although the company has an enviable manufacturing heritage, dating back as early as the 1830's, in more recent times there were definite management shortcomings, as Andy Tuohy recalls: "It used to be more of an 'us and them' situation and many of us joined the union to prevent being pressured by management and to secure help in negotiating improved pay and conditions,' he says. "Since Kevin took over as MD, we've developed a good working relationship with management. He's the kind of bloke we can talk to and, if there are changes to be made on production efficiencies to be introduced, we sit down and discuss things with him and try to reach acceptable agreements.'

Kevin Parkin, an experienced turnaround manager with qualifications in accounting, marketing and engineering, was originally appointed as an interim MD by the former owners, then fifteen months ago led a management buyout with Financial Director, Duncan Hey. From the outset, Kevin was keen to involve the union in the day-to-day running of the company and, according to Andy, maintains a genuine open door policy, so that staff can raise queries and concerns, even walking the shopfloor at 8.00am most mornings to sound out employees.

"Kevin's a strong believer in unions and we have established a very sound working relationship,' says Sam Wragg. "The JSSC are certainly not 'yes men', but we appreciate that we have shared goals with management, in that we all want DavyMarkham to succeed.'

One move in that direction was last year's reintroduction of the company's apprenticeship scheme, with the help and support of Doug Patterson, Regional Officer for Unite, and MetSkill, the strategic skills body for the metals industry.

"The apprenticeship scheme has been welcomed by everybody, especially because an aging workforce meant we had to introduce new blood,' says Sam. "But factory jobs are often highly technical and many of these youngsters lacked the necessary mathematical skills, because they hadn't been taught them at school. So there's been a learning curve for both parties and one of our members is teaching them maths and trigonometry in his spare time, to bring them up to speed.'

With major orders for the North American gold and nickel mining sectors and plans for the coal industry in this country to reopen shafts and refurbish hoisting equipment, DavyMarkham's order book looks promising and the company is optimistic about securing orders fro the forthcoming nuclear programme, where its high precision, heavy engineering skills should be in demand. So, following earlier periods of uncertainty, Sam and his colleagues are keen to embrace new technology and, where possible, improve production efficiency, to the future benefit of all.

"At times in the past, it has been hard to keep a demotivated workforce on board, but our JSSC Chairman, Sam, and his Deputy, Andy, have done an excellent job and now we're beginning to see positive results,' concludes Secretary, Mick Jay. "Kevin Parkin has a fresh vision to succeed and, as a union, we must work with him and accept the need for change. After all, we can't press for a healthy future with DavyMarkham and high quality terms & conditions for the workforce, yet at the same time pretend that everything will remain the same.'

Issued October 2008 Ref DM146