6000 Jobs And 60 Outlets To Go At Pilkington

There was a time when St Helens was glass town, the home of the Pilkington family, where even the pubs had special opening hours to accommodate thirsty shift workers. The loyal burghers of the town once took to the streets to oppose a hostile takeover bid by BTR (November 1986) and with their help the bid was beaten off. There was a time when Pilkington's R&D department was bigger than a medium-sized university and one of the wonders of the industrial world. With news that the restructuring programme announced in June will mean that 6000 jobs and 60 downstream businesses are to go, clearly the snows of yesteryear have now vanished in the searing heat of modern business methods and shareholder accountability.