Eamonn McCann invokes Eleanor Marx, Rage Against the Machine and Jim Larkin and tells Derry strike rally trade union movement is ‘sleeping giant’

The veteran socialist delivered a rousing closing address in Guildhall Square at a strike rally organised by Derry Trades Unions Council.

“This is by no means the first - it is the biggest, but, of course, not the first - trade union demonstration in the centre of Derry. We have come a long way,” he said.

Mr. McCann spoke of Eleanor Marx’s historic visit to Derry in the 19th century.

“Eleanor Marx was here in 1881. My old friend, the late Dermie McClenaghan used to stay, 'ah yes, Karl's wee girl'.

“Eleanor Marx came to Derry, invited by Derry Trades Council. She was a member of London and District Trades Council.

“She came over to speak here and the reason she came over was to help with the drive by women workers in Derry to unionise the shirt factories in Derry and that happened.

“Derry was the first place on this island where there was an organised and militant women's trade union movement, one of the first in these islands and that is a tradition which is kept on,” he said.

He paid tribute to the late Derry trade unionists Cathy Harkin and Noeleen O’Kane and ‘all the other brave women of recent years who have actually helped the whole of Derry to stand up’.

Mr. McCann declared that the movement was ‘bigger than anybody else’.

“There are members of trade unions in the north of Ireland right now, organised into 34 affiliated unions attached to the Irish Congress.

“We have 200,000 members, bigger than all the political parties and all the orders, Orange and Green, put together. We are bigger than they are.

“In a way we have been the sleeping giant of NI society. When the trade union movement comes together like this, when I look down from this platform, the best thing that I see when I look around is that I couldn't tell you who comes from where, what community anybody comes from. We are here together.

“When people talk of the need to get the two communities together, well here we are. We are the peace process. We are the organisation of the future.”

Mr. McCann went on to quote the lines of Union Town, a song written by Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, adding a few lines of his own:

“‘Come rain or sleet or dark of night,

‘Come wind of frigid snow.

‘There's thousands of us on these streets,

‘And our number is going to grow.

‘And when we put the government on trial

‘We'll be in the front row.

‘Just look around, we're a union town,

‘When they come for our wages

‘Derry says no.’”

He ended his speech with quotes from Jim Larkin.

“Jim Larkin talked about the militancy of the trade union movement standing in front of him in the centre of Dublin. He said: 'This is all we know on earth and it's all we need to know'.

“Forward with the trade union movement. Forward Derry workers. Forward with the cause of justice led by the trade union movement,” he said.