Worked to the bone into a lonely old age
I worked in England in the late 1960s and early '70s. I knew a lot of the men who worked 'on the lump' so called because they did not pay tax, put up a stamp or pay union dues. Most of the Irish worked that way.
I used to meet them in Luton where there were 25,000 Irish at that time. I advised a lot of them to pay a stamp every week and to get away from the sub-contractors. Very few took my advice.
The sub-contractors, who became millionaires from the labour of these men, now have a duty to contribute to a fund that should be set up for them. They were worked like slaves and had no rights.
I met a man from Kerry who was working with a broken foot. I asked why he was not out sick. He told me he had no money.
A young, married man broke his back and the sub-contractor had him moved off the site. His wife and young children were in dire trouble financially. The Irish community organised a fund-raising campaign which raised £35,000 a huge sum at the time. The sub-contractor did not give a penny.
I believe that returned emigrants should try to give a week of their time to revisit the places where they once lived, meet some of these people and advise them to come home. If they were provided with a comfortable prefab by the local authorities they could end their days with dignity in Ireland.
Hopefully, Irish and British contractors would contribute a few million and the Government could match the sum.
Donie Murphy,
Inchintotane,
Newmarket,
Co Cork.
