WOMEN workers at Rolls-Royce in Scotland went on strike in 1955 for higher wages.

The war had brought thousands of women into the country's factories and afterwards many remained on the workforce, and became involved in the trade union movement. The biggest Rolls-Royce dispute that year involved all the workers at the company's Hillington, East Kilbride and Blantyre factories who walked out over one workers who was working too hard.

I know that sounds laughable, but when you unpick the issue it turns out that workers were being laid off or given more menial jobs as there was not enough work to go round. In order to keep more people in jobs it was agreed by the workforce not to overdo the overtime, but one chap earned more than his fair share of overtime bonuses, leading to the dispute.

Eventually after two months, with Christmas approaching, the workers voted to go back, the issue unresolved, with the union accusing the then Tory Government of of attacking hard-won union practices and agreements.

Wouldn't happen these days, would it?