From the Tuesday Journal

Monarch Electric closes its doors ahead of schedule

Monarch Electric, the Derry subsidiary of Birmingham Sound Reproducers (BSR), on whose goods an embargo had been placed by the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers Union (ATGWU), has closed down 30 hours ahead of schedule.

The factory was to have ceased production at a stipulated time but the management issued a statement saying that, as certain essence supplies had become exhausted and the union’s embargo still remained in force, they had to close earlier than anticipated.

The news came as a bombshell to the 1,300 labour force who only heard of the premature closure 10 minutes before they were due to leave the Bligh’s Lane factory for lunch.

The management statement informed the workforce that the factory would not be re-opening in the afternoon.