THE Covid-19 crisis must lead to a ‘reckoning’ where health staff and other key workers are properly respected and treated, the Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council has said.
Speaking as part of Workers Rights and Social Justice Week and ahead of May Day, the Mayor said a fairer society was the best tribute to those who have put themselves on the front line of the fight against the pandemic.
The Mayor said: “When we are through this crisis – and we will get through it together – there must be a reckoning.
“We must ensure that no more are ordinary workers neglected, underpaid, under-protected or undervalued.
“If we are to salvage anything from the Covid-19 catastrophe, then it must be to ensure that a better society emerges on the other side of it.
“Applause on a Thursday night is one thing. But a new, fairer society is the best tribute we can pay to the workers who have proven time and again over these traumatic weeks that they are the bedrock of our community.”
The Mayor also encouraged the public to take part and support the range of events being hosted online by Council as part of its Workers Rights and Social Justice Week and May Day events programming.
Mayor Michaela Boyle
Programming will culminate in a day of action in support of workers on Friday, May 1, when Derry Trades Union Council is urging everyone to hang out banners or red flags and to take part in 5 Minutes of Noise for Workers Rights at 6 pm.
The Mayor has also facilitated the lighting of the Guildhall Clock to red and the lighting up of the Council building on Strand Road.
For more information and how to get involved and take part visit – www.derrystrabane.com/workersrights
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