Derry workers celebrate inaugural Trade Union Week

Workers across Derry are taking part in events and activities this week as part of the inaugural Trade Union Week, an initiative as part of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions’ (ICTU) ‘Better in a Trade Union’ campaign to promote the benefits of trade union membership.

Members and representatives from across 31 trade unions in Northern Ireland affiliated to ICTU, including from Derry, will hold Trade Union Week events in workplaces, schools, education institutes, and retail outlets, focused on issues such as enhanced job security, advice and supports for workers, improved terms and conditions of employment, and better pay.

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Commenting at the launch of Trade Union Week, Justin McCamphill, current president of ICTU, said: “Our first Trade Union Week unites all 31 affiliated trade unions in Northern Ireland, representing a collective force of over 200,000 members, to celebrate everything we’ve achieved for workers to date, and to share with others, how joining a trade union could benefit them. Everyone is better in a trade union.”

Marina Hampton is an actor with Equity Union. She said: “You need a union. Not for the things you can think of, but for the things you haven’t thought of yet. That’s why you need to be in a union. When you’re in a trade union, if your trade union has 80,000 members, when you call, it’s with the sound of 80,000 voices. That’s what gets heard in the room.”

Trade Union Week Highlights

Trade Union Week is taking place as part of the ‘Better in a Trade Union’ campaign, which features workers’ voices from the public and private sectors across the island of Ireland. Local events include:

• International Workers’ Day March and Rally, organised by Derry Trade Union Council, meeting at Waterloo Square on Saturday 4th May.
• Ulster Teachers’ Union will hold a public seminar on the history and importance of unions.
• Derry Trade Union Council will host an event with speakers from the Real Living Wage Foundation and Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network, in St. Columb’s Hall, Thursday, 2nd May.

For more information, visit www.unions.ie.