As long as shipbuilders are singing

As long as lions do not have their story-teller tales of the hunt will continue to praise the hunter (African proverb) With the building of the first wooden river-going boats in 1829 the chronicle of an industry began to unfold and continued until the last shipyard was dismantled in 1997.
This in-depth study of Belgium's last shipyard is, in its context, a revealing insight into industry and employment on an international level.
Crisis and de-localisation in labour intensive enterprises; the complex relationship between government policies, unions, private financial groups; the influence of economic agreements on a European level; the globalisation of production and markets; the fear of a growing number of unemployable unskilled workers, the redefinition of the notion of 'labour'" The story of this particular industry is all this and more...
'As long as shipbuilders are singing' is not observations from outside, it has its finger on the pulse of every shipbuilders heartbeat: their hopes, beliefs and commitments, their anger, powerlessness and social struggle, their weaknesses, fears and doubts"
This saga portrays a part of socio-economic history and its consequences today. A belief in a boundless future undergoes a metamorphosis and turns into uncertainty and despair.

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Part 1: CHAMPAGNE! 1829 - 1969 (86? The final realisation that an industry has come to an end is in stark contrast to the story of the growth of the company. The tonnage of ships increases: wooden boats become sophisticated ships. The number of workers grows, as does the number each is known by... to more than 3.000. And at the shipyard the ship takes on a new shape: from keel to crow's nest, from top to bottom.

Part 2: THE FLUSH OF SUCCESS... 1969 - 1986 These are wonderful years, a just world looks possible, social attitudes are changing. The class-conscious worker not only stands up for his rights towards his employer, but the conflict with the official union becomes increasingly more apparent. And then the company gets into difficulties. Competition with the low wage countries.

Part 3: THE HANGOVER... 1986 - 1997 Nearly bankrupt, first step towards bankruptcy, occupation of the premises, second step, second occupation, up for sale for a song to the highest bidder, any bidder, the last ships... The story of this dying process brings us inevitably to the question of 'work and future'. Out of fear of losing our material prosperity we accept alienation from our rightful job, for any job, the thought of doing something useful now a thing of the past.