A Wolverhampton factory was the location for a photocall for a Bridgnorth Theatre Company getting ready for play: Made in Dagenham. We catch up with them to find out more.
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00:00We're here in Wolverhampton at Aldridge Trimmings and Maiden Dagenham. I can see
00:04some Ford working girls there, but all is not quite as it seems. What's going on?
00:09So we're having a photo shoot here at Aldridge Trimmings because I've got a link with Aldridge
00:15Trimmings. I'm directing Maiden Dagenham with Bridgeshaw Musical Theatre Company,
00:20but my day job is managing director of a recruitment company and Jenny at Aldridge
00:25Trimmings is actually one of my clients, so that's where it's all come from.
00:29That's great. So if people don't know the story of Maiden Dagenham, it's based on a true event,
00:35isn't it? It was quite an important role in history really, especially for women workers.
00:39Just give us a bit of a synopsis. What's it all about?
00:41So it's based at the Women Ford Strikes. So the characters that you see in Maiden Dagenham
00:47aren't real characters, but they're based on real characters. The two characters that are
00:51in the show that are the real characters is Harold Wilson and Barbara Castle and it's a
00:56fantastic story. It'll take you on a journey through, you know, it'll make you laugh, it'll
01:02make you cry and I've got an amazing cast which I'm so proud of. Cool. And it's all about women
01:09basically getting what they deserve, isn't it, in the workplace? It is, it's about women's rights,
01:12yes. So it's the women's fight for equal rights. Girls, I've been meeting with Monty, we've been
01:16meeting the Pay Review Commission. All along I've been asking for a re-evaluation of our pay grades.
01:22Well are we getting equal pay or not? Well, no, they've put us up onto B grade.
01:30That's an upgrade then because we're at grade C. No, it's unskilled labour. What? I know. You can't
01:35expect us to agree to that. That's what they're saying. Who else signed up to this? No, the men.
01:42The men signed up to us but they won't let the women have equal pay. In my book, this is
01:48indefensible. Why did you agree to it then? I was outvoted by the men. When and where is it on then?
01:55So it's from the 19th to the 22nd of February and we have a matinee on the Wednesday and a matinee
02:02on the Saturday and we are Bridge North Musical Theatre Company and we're performing at Bridge
02:07North Endowed... Sandra, wait. You don't tell me what to do. This is exactly what they want,
02:12us fighting amongst ourselves. What is it you don't understand? I can't pay the rent. Yeah,
02:17but we're fighting for equal pay. If we get equal pay, it won't change nothing. It'll still be a
02:23naff job. Only a naff job with equal pay. That's not the point. It's all about you in it. Little
02:30misleading, hungry but nice looking. All over the papers. Get out on the street and onto the picket
02:37line. Everybody out. Let's make it clear we're here to stand the sign. Everybody out. We won't
02:46be dismissed and we won't be ignored. Everybody out. We'll drown ourselves under the ladies' marble
02:56board.