Unite contacts political leaders from DUP and Sinn Féin to seek to calm situation

January 9th: Unite Regional Secretary, Jackie Pollock, confirmed that he had been in contact with political representatives from both sides of the community divide in relation to the incident:

“This sectarian slogan is a reprehensible attempt to divide workers and will not be allowed to succeed. Unite represents this workforce and they stand united against those who offer nothing positive.

“Unite has sought to contact political leaders from the DUP and Sinn Féin to calm the situation. We welcome the fact that leaders on both sides of the community divide have come out strongly against this graffiti”, Mr Pollock finished.

Unite Regional Officer, Susan Fitzgerald, condemned those who painted sectarian slogans directed at Caterpillar workers at its Springvale site:

“The sectarian scrawl written on a wall outside the Caterpillar site in Springvale has been designed to intimidate and divide workers – it cannot and will not be allowed to succeed.

“Workplaces are the one place in Northern Ireland where people come together across the sectarian divides. Over the decades there have been those on both sides who have attempted to sow division but the trade union movement and our union, Unite, in particular has taken a stand against those forces.

“Unite stands full square against sectarianism and intimidation and the disgusting graffiti at Springvale today. Anyone that threatens a hair on the head of any one of our members is an enemy of our union. Our solidarity is our strength”, Ms Fitzgerald concluded.