Remembering the Featherstone Massacre 1893

Motion Text

That this House remembers the atrocities which took place in Featherstone, West Yorkshire on 7 September 1893; pays tribute to the six people 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 per cent reduction in pay which would have plunged so many into poverty, whilst the coal owners tried to increase profits; highlights the struggles of workers in the UK today who are facing an assault on their pay, terms and conditions by employers attempting to fire and rehire their staff on more exploitative contracts; believes the historic struggle for workers’ rights and fair pay is part of the rich tapestry of British working class history; and seeks to continue to learn the lessons of imposing poverty pay, unfair working conditions and even violence on working communities.