Unite remembers Calton Weavers

The Calton Weavers Commemorative Committee are returning to the Calton Burial Ground for the 2025 event to mark the murder of weavers fighting against cuts to their pay.

Unite Community member Jim Lister is part of the organising committee. Jim said, “This is our 3rd year, and it has been building up a bit of momentum since we started in 2022.”

“What initially started as a few kindred spirits from Unite branches who wanted to remember an important part of the working history of Glasgow has started to grow and draw in other unions and trade unionists.”

This year the event is planned for Sunday August 31st at 1pm – the nearest Sunday to the date when striking weavers were mown down by rifle fire from the militia.

Speakers at the event will include Roz Foyer, General Secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC), Keith Stoddart, chair of Unite Community for the West of Scotland. Direct descendants of Alexander Miller, one of the executed Weavers, will also be present.

The growing event has resulted in union banners from across Glasgow descending on the burial ground, however one of the most striking is one that CWCC had made to remember Glasgow’s working class martyrs. 

On blood red cloth is the image of a smiling cat above the words “I will eat the shuttle, ere I reveal the secrets of the craft.”

Jim explained, “The cat symbol is part of the legacy of the guilds, some of them, over time, became trade unions. The cat has in its mouth a shuttle – an essential component of hand-loom weaving. The cat symbol also features in the original Calton coat of arms referencing the weavers of that time and their underpinning of the economy.

Though a coincidence, it is interesting that the black cat has become a symbol of direct action since the early 20th century. 

One of the sponsors from last year was Allan McDougall Solicitors, and associate solicitor, Alice Bowman, attended the event. 

Afterwards Alice commented: “The event made me reflect on how much we take for granted today; the right to associate, the right to join a trade union and the right to strike. Without the courage of those who have gone before us, like the Calton Weavers, we would not have the labour and trade union movement that we have today, and none of the rights we presently have.

“I am grateful to the Calton Weavers Committee for keeping their memory alive”.
After the commemoration those assembled are encouraged to stroll along to The Olde Burnt Barns (Lynch’s) where there will be music, poetry and a warm welcome from the Calton Weaver’s Commemoration Committee.

For more information go to the CWCC website.

By Keith Hatch