'Rest in peace Jimmy Nolan'

On behalf of the Waterford Branch of Unite in the Community we offer our sincere condolences to family, friends and comrades on the sad passing of Jimmy Nolan.

Jimmy was a docker, an internationalist and a socialist.

Those members of our Branch who worked in Waterford Crystal remember the solidarity shown by Jimmy during our strike in 1990. Whether it was Ireland, South Africa, or the USA, to Jimmy workers solidarity had no borders.

When Jimmy and his Liverpool Docker members took strike action from 1995 to1998, our Waterford Crystal membership was happy to implement a weekly levy on all members for the duration of the strike. Our solidarity is recognised through the inclusion of a plaque dedicated to Waterford Crystal workers’ solidarity in the Dockers Club at the CASA in Liverpool.

The Liverpool Dock Strike was far-reaching – from the Women of the Waterfront movement campaigning on behalf of their husbands, brothers and sons, to the international community of dockworkers who were inspired to speak out against unfair working practices. The ’95 to ’98 lock-out encapsulates the lengths a community will go to in order to defend their heritage, pride and values.

Rest in peace Jimmy Nolan – We salute your solidarity.

By Jimmy Kelly, former Chief Shop Steward Waterford Crystal, Chair of Union and Irish Secretary of Unite