skip to main content
Language:
Search Limited to: Search Limited to: Resource type Show Results with: Show Results with: Search type Index

Luxton, Phil (12 of 13). An Oral History of the Electricity Supply in the UK

Digital Resources/Online E-Resources

Citations Cited by
  • Title:
    Luxton, Phil (12 of 13). An Oral History of the Electricity Supply in the UK
  • Subjects: Electricity
  • Description: Provider: - Institution: - Data provided by Europeana Collections- Part 12: Comments on working as general manager [GM] at Swindon: outline of GM duties, liaising between director and station manage, assisting various projects, performance monitoring; anecdote about setting of bonus levels; PL sceptical about effects of bonuses, PL not feeling incentivised by bonus; much paperwork at some stations to monitor bonus performance; anecdote about setting of bonus levels at West Thurrock, unpleasantness when staff discovered each other's bonuses; [07:45] no bonuses for managers in CEGB; salary levels lower than in private industry than CEGB, some staff lost to other industries, CEGB offering job security; PL difficult relationship with ambitious group director Brian Count. [11:00] Remarks on change management: use of consultants and speakers from other industries, such as KPMG and Hewlett Packard, to assist change management; devolution of power from top down organisation; Brian Count opposition to change management programme and showing little interest in power station issues; possibility of PL early retirement. [17:05] Story about PL becoming manager of Hub River power station project in Pakistan in 1994: anecdote about PL taking post in Pakistan after its rejection by David Jackson; Hub Power Company Limited [HUBCO] chaired by a Saudi, board including Granville Camsey and Mike Woodruffe; [19:30] anecdote about PL discussion with wife; PL and wife visiting Pakistan before taking job; plans for British staff to live in Karachi and travel 40 miles to site; PL negotiation over intended retirement. [21:40] Remarks on preparation for setting up Hub River power station c.1994 PL recruitment of [45] British and then [550] Pakistani staff: distrust of Pakistani personnel manager; PL asked to take promising younger managers for production and engineering manager roles; road show of National Power sites recruiting staff, most posts filled easily; some staff previously caught up in 1991 Gulf War; [26:40] problematic recruitment of Pakistani staff, difficulty trusting qualifications, pressures to show favouritism in staff recruitment; anecdote about recruitment of a Pakistani who wanted to be a manager; obstructions to gaining licences; value of skilful Pakistani manager Wapda; anecdote about licences needed to import alcoholic drinks; bribes commonplace in Pakistan; British staff banned from driving due to impossibility of insurance; [30:35] difficulties interviewing Pakistani staff, problems with technical interview style. [33:00] Remarks on: oil brought in by tanker for commissioning before pipeline completed, British staff brought in to guard against fraud; wife finding Pakistan difficult, early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease evident at time but unrecognised; accomdation for British staff in township on site, [twelve] wives joining their husbands on site full time; ; lists different nationality and variable working relationships of contractors building plant; anecdote about French civil engineers' refusal to open toilets; PL having more leeway to take decisions locally than other nationality managers; [39:10] training of Pakistani engineers and some industrial staff in Britain and placements in British power stations to set standard; anecdote about living arrangements in Doncaster; PL presentations to financiers [when project was not fully financed ' project eventual cost $1.6billion][43:30]. Remarks on Hub River: rapid construction of power station, on budget and before time; anecdote about use of bamboo poles instead of scaffolding; no health and safety legislation; armed guards needed for visits to Karachi, visits eventually banned due to security fears; British staff happy in Pakistan, in spite of only 30% bonus and problems, staying on longer than originally contracted. [49:00] Remarks on working practices and cultural issues: Pakistani staff staying away from work without notice in event of family troubles; regular prayer periods; anecdote about construction of mosque on site; poor transport links and long distances leading to shift staff working 84 hour weeks, one week on, one week off and living on site; all but two British staff settling in well; Pakistani staff glad to see British back after bad experience of poorly built Chinese and Russian power stations. [55:30] Remarks on: management arrangements above PL, distance from manager Brian Count, PL having to use holiday to catch up with company business; PL staff surprising him with a holiday in Bali; community of British staff; eating arrangements; bribes a common part of business in Pakistan, PL adopting zero tolerance approach to bribes; [1:00:10] mentions corrupt Pakistani procurement officer disappearing; description of on site security arrangements, including walls and armed guards; anecdote about PL refusal to continue construction company bribes of local chief leading to visit from gun totting local villagers; cleanliness of construction site; little concern of terrorism at time, mentions incident after he left; station commissioned in 1997; [1:07:00] staff recruitment hardest part of project; Hub River highlight of PL career, enjoying set of new challenges; anecdote about women being more of a problem than alcohol to British staff; [1:10:44] British staff in Pakistan united in wanting a change in their working lives; PL unable to stay longer in Pakistan, retirement arrangements, national Power wanting to give more managers experience abroad to support international aspirations of company; PL successors as station manager. [1:13:30] Remarks on National Power hopes to become major international company: unrealised ambitions in China, Turkey and India; Portuguese and Australian power stations; not a great success; hopes to make international work a standard part of National Power career; reluctance of older staff with families moving abroad. [1:16:45] Remarks on family: PL feeling he put work ahead of family; PL children occupations, anecdote about daughter being found a job in National power to smooth PL move to Pakistan; PL children limited knowledge of PL career anecdote about daughters attending power station Christmas party; [Closed until 01 January 2037 1:21:51 - 1:23:14] [1:23:25] Remarks on PL post-retirement consultancy work for National Power: project in Kazakhstan, risks of combined heat and power stations leaving towns cold in winters; visits to Indonesia connected to unrealised project and 'spreading the gospel of privatisation'; description of unrealised scheme in Brazil, also involving American and Chilean companies; [1:30:30] other companies approaching PL for consultancy work, PL touring Dutch ESI for American Southern Company; PL involvement with Ove Arup project in South Korea; PL enjoying consultancy work in new places, international travel less common at time, mentions family holidays in Lake District caravan; privatisation talks in other countries, anecdote about talk to Eastern European ESI's. [1:36:00] Remarks on retirement: PL retirement from full time work in 1997 and consultancy work in 1999; anecdote about turning down consultancy work, PL former colleagues still in demand for consultancy work in retirement, lists colleagues who worked abroad; anecdote about aircraft landing in Kazakhstan; PL caring for first wife during illness for 10 years, with assistance of carers; death of wife in 2009; unrecognised early signs of illness; PL socially isolated during wife's illness, caring becoming full time job. [1:43:40] Remarks on recent life: anecdote about abandoning Cardiff dance classes in 1960s, but recently trying to take up dance classes with second wife Anna; enjoying travel; PL progress toward list of 10 things to do before he dies, based on film ['The Bucket List']; Ballooning, gliding, go carting, flying plane, driving sorts cars,; anecdote about cruise ship almost capsizing.- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
  • Creation Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Source: Europeana Collections
Back to results list
INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY (84-028) 37 755 057 Feedback
19 Nguyen Huu Tho St. Dist.7, HCM thuvien@tdtu.edu.vn

Copyright © 2017 INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY

Searching Remote Databases, Please Wait