New union leader makes fresh calls for Made In England backstamp
NEW pottery union boss Harry Hockaday is calling on the Government to adopt new rules which make clear where goods sold in the UK are made.
Mr Hockaday says shoppers should be allowed a more informed choice of where pottery ware is manufactured.
-
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Mugs with a back-stamp clearly stating where they were made.
He has identified the issue as one of his priorities as he started his new role this week after taking over from previous general secretary Geoff Bagnall.
Mr Hockaday, pictured, says he is also planning to focus on increasing membership and help firms cope with the spiralling cost of energy.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Friday, May 31 2013
The 57-year-old, from Kidsgrove, became involved with Unity during his 12 years as a gilder at Royal Worcester Porcelain. He became a works representative before being appointed a full-time union official 16 years ago. He said Unity will be urging the Government to adopt rules that would force goods sold in the UK to have clear country of manufacture labelling.
He said: "We can never stop companies producing things abroad, but we need a level playing field when it comes to back-stamping.
"It's not right to have things masquerading as being made in the UK.
"Consumers would be able to make a more informed choice. If something was made in China or wherever, it would have to say that, so companies would not be able to get away with having just the company name and England underneath."
Unity is working with West Midlands MEP Michael Cashman, a long-time campaigner for clearer mark of origin rules, and Mr Hockaday recently attended a meeting in Brussels about the issue.
Mr Hockaday also said one of the biggest issues facing the firms that union members work for is spiralling gas and electricity prices. He said: "All manufacturing, not just the areas we represent, faces being crippled by the huge cost of power.
"We are working with employers to try to get some Government support.
"It is a very big issue; recently we saw Jesse Shirley, a long-established company, going into receivership purely because it couldn't afford the cost of fuel."
Mr Hockaday said he wanted to stabilise and then increase membership.
He added: "I do believe there's a place for the smaller trade union.
"I think it's easier to build up relationships not only with members, but also employers."
Unity, based at Hillcrest House in Hanley, currently has 4,200 members, of which around 10 per cent are from outside the ceramic sector.
Mr Hockaday said: "The ceramics industry has for many years formed the majority of our membership, but a lot of our members moved into other areas when they were made redundant.
"Hopefully we can now start to grow from outside the ceramics sector. We've recently been approached by a non-ceramic company looking to get us on board as a union."
Dr Laura Cohen, chief executive of the British Ceramic Confederation, added: "We support all efforts to ensure the proper and legal use of origin marking and to prevent misleading or illegal origin marking claims."
Related articles:
Comments
by mrdoulton
Thursday, January 05 2012, 7:37PM
“batkin get lost and take your filth somewhere else.
BNP should be banned”
by Anon_mow_cop
Thursday, January 05 2012, 6:53PM
“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
by stevebatkin
Thursday, January 05 2012, 3:26PM
“Back-stamping is not the main problem which has devastated the pottery industry; very cheap foreign labour is the main problem. Mr Hockaday needs to unite and tell his union colleagues not to keep funding the Labour Party /Tory Party cheap labour globalists!
http://tinyurl.com/c5fch56”
by hasod
Thursday, January 05 2012, 11:52AM
“LIDASTREES. Why do you need a wheelchair if you walked ?”
by mrdoulton
Thursday, January 05 2012, 8:12AM
“where was this union when they stood back and watched while Doultons went down the pan due to oustsourcing in Asia.
We wanted to strike but they told us everything ok we are working with douton management, then were were promtly put on a 3 day week, that CATU that was did nothing but said "we seen the books it a real need. However indonesia was pumping stuff 100% efficency.
backstamp pfft they try this when they got nothing to do or say , look at the back issue of this paper to see this.
The problem is the wrld wants stoke pots made in stoke not some quasi stoke import from a judas nation who this unionleet take our jobs”
by Nicky_Davis_
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 5:08PM
“It is certainly the case that very little is actually made as well as decorated in SOT these days and I agree with Harry Hockaday that we should know so we can be informed when we buy these items. Although nooneshome does have a point that it's rather little a lot too late, it's not Harry Hockaday solely responsible for that.
Cztim The latest I bought was made in SOT by Emma Bridgewater.
http://tinyurl.com/87aqt8x
You can click on shape (type of item) and pattern and should be able to find enough variety so something suits. Personally I don't much like the words patterns, but like starry skies, red star, polka dot, snowflake, birds, flying birds, classics. To get the bowls and plates I wanted (in the cheaper seconds at their shop) I went for the classic olives. But then I'm 52 so this may be too middle aged for your taste cztim, but there's probably something you like.
Note that I'm not advertising, I don't work for Emma Bridgewater or know anyone who does, I'm simply answering a question for cztim based on my experience of buying pottery actually made in SOT.”
by james208
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 4:21PM
“I was in China a couple of years ago and was told by chinese friends that they want to buy crockery made in the world famous pottery towns of Stoke but found the pottery on sale is made or finished in Indonesia. They bought German ,and incredibly, Dubai pottery instead . I hasten to add that many shops sell steelite pottery from Middleport.
There is a massive market in china. Bentley car sales have risen by 40% because of demand from the rich Chinese market.
It's still not too late!”
by NOONESHOME
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 4:17PM
“Mr Hockaday. It is a bit rich coming from you bunch of useless union people,Have you ever heard the saying about bolting the barn door when the horse has bolted.well i am afraid all the pot banks have bolted Mr Hockaday over to the far east,and Poland,while you lot sat on your backside and let Stoke turn into a third world town,devoid of hardly any manufacturing outlets.
You should be really proud of your unions for helping the Stokies with their plight."NOT"!!!!”
by LIDASTREES
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 2:23PM
“Remember quality always sells no matter what is stamped on the bottom, produce shoddy goods or service and you will fail. No matter what you say about them if Starbucks produce a good cup of coffee they will prosper. I went into DFS Shrewsbury this morning to buy a suite, they had no wheelchair, no toilet and no staff so I walked.”
by hasod
Wednesday, January 04 2012, 1:02PM
“Starbucks . Wasn't this the company that wouldn't back our troops . I don't enen like mentioning their name . I would cross over the road before walking past their door .”