Dangerous Pursuit
Subtitle: The Anti-Sectarian Work of Counteract
Publisher: Lang Publishing, Incorporated, Peter
Published: 2021
Language: eng
Number of pages: 242
ISBN-13: 9781800791879
Subjects: Economics
Description: "This is the untold story of Counteract, the trade union sponsored anti-sectarian unit tackling violent sectarianism in the workplace in the Northern Ireland conflict. As the death toll mounted through the 1980s key union women and men started what was planned as a campaign to support workers and became a ground-breaking facility for mediating sectarian disputes in the workplace in these violent times. A union official from Newry rang because his men were being threatened - if they collected the bins from the police station the IRA threatened violence - if they didn't the UVF had warned 'collect or else!' That was what it was like. People were shot for challenging flags at work, drivers hijacked at gun point and forced to drive bombs, taxi drivers murdered in tit-for-tat sectarian killings, and workers were forced out of jobs because of sectarian threats and intimidation. This is a hidden part of the peace process, showing the path from 'Shipyard confetti' to nuanced expressions of sectarian hostility. Counteract had supporters, like politician Mo Mowlam and actor Adrian Dunbar who presented their video. It had successes and failures but two decades later, the task remains unfinished business"--