Gordon Brown unveiled two stained glass window at UCATT to celebrate construction skills and commemorate those who have lost their lives in the industry.
Chancellor Gordon Brown yesterday visited the headquarters of construction union UCATT to dedicate two stained glass windows that commemorate the skill and courage of construction workers.
One window is a memorial to those who have died on construction sites across the UK and Ireland. The other celebrates the skills and achievements of workers.
Brown said that the industry did not receive enough acknowledgement for the contribution it makes to society. He said: “People are too complacent in not recognising the skill of workers, and the sacrifices they make in terms of death and injury”.
The chancellor paid tribute to the union’s work to improve site safety, especially praising the recent £1m introduction of roving safety advisers. But he added that more work still needed to be done in an industry where 29 people have died in the last four months, and pledged government support to improve records.
He said: “Every death is a tragedy. We as a government will join the union in pressing for reform whenever it comes to light that changes need to be made”.
Brown went on to praise the role of outgoing UCATT secretary George Brumwell, who retires next month. The chancellor paid tribute to the “strength, tenacity and skill” with which Brumwell has led the union, and extended his congratulations to Alan Ritchie, Brumwell’s successor.
