Remembering Featherstone Massacre 1893

Motion Text

That this House remembers the atrocities which took place in Featherstone, West Yorkshire on 7th September 1893; notes with sadness the 6 injured and two killed, named James Gibb, 22, and James Duggan, 25, after the army was ordered to fire shots into a crowd of miners and their families, who were fighting against a 25% cut in pay which would have plunged so many into poverty, whilst the coal owners tried to squeeze out more profits; highlights that the historic struggle for workers’ rights and fair pay is part of the rich tapestry of British working class history; and this House seeks to continue to learn the lessons of imposing poverty pay, unfair working conditions and even violence on working communities, especially in light of the recent covid-19 pandemic.