Save Daddy’s Work.
Just three words emblazoned on a placard held by a young lad in Edinburgh today.
But they shouted louder to me than any of the impressive union battle cries that soared above the Battle for BiFab march on the Royal Mile.
That one placard said everything that needed to be said.
This was the human face of the struggle to keep the gates open at the Fife heavy engineer. Son, dad and grandad in step, fighting for the same cause.
I don’t know the family and I don’t know their personal circumstances.
But, for me at least, their humble display of solidarity symbolised why the wider fight to save BiFab is so important.
It is about opportunity and giving people the chance to build a better life for their family and the generations to come.
It is not gilding the lily to say that BiFab is the beating heart of the Burntisland, Levenmouth and Methil area.
The two Fife yards have provided hope to some of the most economically deprived parts of Scotland when otherwise there was none.
If BiFab does goes to the wall the future is not just bleak for the workers who are directly impacted – it will be a hammer blow to the community at large.
That wee lad with his placard may not have a full grasp of the significance of what he has been involved in today.
But let’s be clear – whether the outcome is positive or negative for BiFab, it will impact on the life prospects of him and his family.
Just like it will for the hundreds of other BiFab workers whose sole purpose is to provide for their families.
That’s a sobering thought and one which I would like to think has permeated into the minds of those who can make this situation right.
When issues such as money, quality and contracts are at stake, those sat around the table are often guilty of seeing things only in black and white.
But the march in Edinburgh today was a colourful reminder that business is about more than the bottom line – it is also about people and the long-term betterment of society.
As the powerplay over BiFab’s future continues, I hope the powerful message sent out by that wee lad with his placard isn’t lost or forgotten and that a new era for his dad’s workplace can be forged.
