Irish builders honoured with Tower
Hill memorial
 By Staff reporter
IRISH construction workers were honored in London last week as Britain’s
first ever statue in celebration of building workers was unveiled.
The nine foot-high bronze Building Worker will also serve as a national
memorial to building workers who are killed each year.
The statue was unveiled by the Mayor of London and Alan Ritchie, the general
secretary of the Construction Workers’ Union UCATT (Union of Construction,
Allied Trades and Technicians).
Irish members of UCATT were on hand to witness the unveiling of the statue.
Andy Higgins from Dublin who left London 56 years ago said: “This
is great because us Irish all played a part in the building of Britain
and the statue looks great.”
Corkman Harry Jones who is a former member of the UCATT national council
said he was also very impressed with the statue and what it means for
the thousands of Irish workers who helped build Britain.
He said: “This really is a fantastic tribute to the Irish workers
and it is very appropriate that it is on display here in London.”
The Irish branch of UCATT, which has its headquarters in Dublin has over
10,000 members, many of whom would have worked in Britain over the years.
The inscription on the statue reads: “For the thousands of building
workers who have lost their lives at work, we commemorate you. For the
thousands of building workers who are today building and rebuilding towns
and cities across the United Kingdom, we celebrate you.”
Alan Ritchie from UCATT said: “We want to highlight the positive
role of building workers in building our homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces
and transport infrastructure.
“But at the same time we want to point out that an unacceptable
price is paid by hundreds of building workers and their families for the
lax safety regime which applies on many building sites and construction
projects.”
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said: “This statue commemorates all
of the building workers who have lost their lives in tragic accidents
and, at the same time, celebrates the contribution of generation after
generation of building workers to making London what it is today.”
He added: “Construction remains one of our most important industries
in what is the fastest growing major city in Europe.
“I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to London’s
300,000 construction workers, to remember the families of those who have
been killed at work and to pledge that we will do everything we can to
ensure that they work in the safest possible conditions.”
The Building Worker which weighs approximately 300kg, will occupy a prime
site on Tower Hill.
UCATT commissioned the £100,000 work of art from sculptor Alan Wilson,
who is based in Henley-on-Thames.
The Building Worker wears a hardhat, is fully clothed and, instead of
a sling, has a spirit level on his left shoulder. The name “Dave”
is inscribed on the measuring tape clipped to the worker’s belt.
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