People Before Profit Cllr Shaun Harkin said,
“The DfC announcement that it will commit funding to properly celebrate and honour Derry’s factory workers is nothing more than what is deserved. It is some good news amidst all the challenges we face.
Decision-makers have botched the effort to pay tribute to the “Factory Girls” so badly over many years. Through this process many people who’ve dedicated so much time and energy along the way have been insulted. As a consequence, many will still think “we’ll believe it when we see it”. And they’re completely right. We need to keep the pressure on to make sure this latest commitment is delivered on and to properly incorporate the efforts of everyone who’s been part of the project.
All credit belongs to the women and their supporters who’ve been the backbone of the city and who’ve kept this project alive despite so many disappointments. It’s completely fitting for Derry’s factory workers to be celebrated and never forgotten.
Derry’s modern factory workers are in hospitals, care homes, call centres, shops, schools, nurseries, offices and everywhere. They are the hidden force that makes this city tick. They’ve been clapped for being on the frontlines. But their demands for a safe workplace, for better pay and conditions, for the right to a trade union voice, for the right to respect – are too often treated with contempt.
Without a trade union Derry’s factory workers would have been voiceless and unable to take collective action. Today in Derry too many workers are threatened with being sacked for joining a trade union.
Let’s make sure the commitment to properly pay tribute to the factory workers happens and let’s also demand today’s workers and their trade unions are treated with respect and justice.”
Celebrate Factory Workers And Treat Today’s Workers With Respect
