What was the factory that went bust pfr?

Was it the benign factory that he [Your Dad] had spent most of his working life devoted to. - "devoted to what? Engaged as you yourself describe as "active trades unionism" - in the Britain of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s I am fully aware of what "active trades unionism" meant.

Here is a little story for you pfr about "active trades unionism" for you.

The company, wholly owned by it's Chairman, was one of the largest manufacturers of knitwear in the UK and possibly Europe at the time. On arriving at work one morning he was told that the immigrant workers employed in the factory were going to go on strike as they did not feel that there were enough of "their own" foremen - Solution proposed was promote the required number from that group, which was done. At lunchtime he was told that the British workforce were going to go on strike as they were not prepared to be ordered about or work under the newly made-up foremen. He then called a meeting to be held in the Boardroom between union representatives of all groups threatening strike action and himself at four o'clock that afternoon. At that meeting both sides outlined their cases, which the Chairman summed up as follows:

Group A will call a strike because they feel unrepresented in terms of foremen on the shop floor - I am perfectly willing to promote men to those positions - However if I do allow that to happen, Group B will go on strike as those they represent will not work under those foremen. The representatives agreed that that was an accurate summation of the problem. On hearing this the Chairmen then told those present the following and I paraphrase:

"Gentlemen, I have a message I would like you to relate to those you represent. This business is without any shadow of doubt the largest employer in this area. It is a business that I have built up over the past decades and I own it lock, stock and barrel. Every nut and bolt of every machine, every brick and every pane of glass. I have made my money from this business and can retire whenever I wish. I will give those present in this Boardroom now until nine o'clock tomorrow morning to come up with a mutually agreeable solution to both parties without any strike being called. If for whatever reason you cannot do that, I will retire and shut the business down forthwith and then all of you can go and explain to the groups you represent why 5,000 people are now out of work. Good-day Gentlemen, this meeting is now over."

Needless to say he never heard another word about any strike being called - what that Chairman was facing was the sort of "active trades unionism" that was prevalent in the Britain of the 1950s, 1960s and much of the 1970s.