File 10 - Mary Collingborn

1 minidisc, 1 cd, 1 file, 1 AIFF file (639.2 MB)

Interview with Mary Collingborn, personnel manager for the Guardian. Conducted by Leslie Plommer on 12 December 2001. Also includes a data sheet containing biographical details about the subject and information about the recording.

Summary contents of interview (with rough timings):

Disc 1:
Track 1
00.10 Joined the Guardian 15 May 1972 as employee assistant manager

Track 2
00.20 Joined advertisement department in Johns Street. Main Guardian offices were in the Sunday Times building
01.10 What she did before and how she came to work at the Guardian
02.30 Differences between secretaries today and then

Track 3
00.20 Smaller Advertising dept - less than fifty members of staff
00.38 Jim Abbiss and Geoffrey Taylor shared offices with their secretaries
01.10 Became secretary to Geoffrey Taylor c.1976
02.42 Description of Geoffrey Taylor
03.45 'Closed Shop' policy of the Guardian and bureaucracy of recruitment
05.50 Describes employees as a fairly restricted pool of people

Track 4
07.06 Anecdote about being in Private Eye
07.35 Description of the card Index system
10.13 Further descriptions of Geoffrey Taylor
11.12 How communication was much slower before computers

Track 5
00.20 Better relations through more personal communication i.e. via telephone
02.09 Guardian paid a less than average wage but this was balanced by the kudos of working for national newspaper
04.15 Description of trade union structure
08.10 Rigid job descriptions
08.48 Racing results in the paper
10.10 Discusses Education Guardian
11.10 Establishment of separate personnel department and becoming personnel manager.
12.55 Move to nine day fortnight

Track 6
00.39 Moved to 119 Farringdon Road from Gray's Inn Road in 1976
03.17 Personnel and recruitment practices in different departments.
05.40 1996 and the new Human Resources Department - descriptions of new responsibilities
09.25 The purchase of the Observer in 1993
13.25 The 1996 IRA bombing of the print plant and the decision to build own press centre
18.25 Bitterness following closure of printing plant
20.21 Using colour in the paper

Track 7
00.20 Introducing Word Processors in the early 1980s and how electric typewriters were restricted to directors' secretaries

Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository

Copyright: Guardian News & Media Ltd and Mary Collingborn