Sammy Barr

Sammy Barr
Born
Samuel Alexander Barr

(1931-12-20)20 December 1931
Glasgow, Scotland
Died7 May 2012(2012-05-07) (aged 80)
Glasgow, Scotland
OccupationShip's welder
Known forTrade unionist, UCS work-in veteran

Samuel Alexander Barr (20 December 1931 – 7 May 2012) was a British shipyard worker, trade unionist and Upper Clyde Shipbuilders (UCS) work-in veteran.[1] Barr was an "inspiring speaker"[1] and organiser who was a "widely respected shop steward"[1] of the Boilermakers' Society at the time of the "historic work-in"[1] at the UCS in 1971.[1] Barr was credited with coming up with the idea for a work-in, which gained a lot of publicity and forced the UK Government into a reversal, saving 6,000 jobs at the shipyard.[1][2][3] Barr was a lifelong friend to fellow UCS activists Jimmy Airlie and Sammy Gilmore.[1] Throughout his life he displayed "considerable political commitment"[1] to the right to work, and protection for the rights of young working people, and also particularly to the protection of the Clyde shipyards.[1]

Richard Leonard writes that "he was unquestionably one of the outstanding trade unionists of his generation, which was a generation of outstanding trade unionists".[4]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Smith, Mark (8 May 2012). "Obituary of Sammy Barr". The Glasgow Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBCobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference GMBobit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Leonard, Richard. "Obituary - Sammy Barr". The Morning Star. Retrieved 23 January 2013.