Liverpool’s Lord Mayor will open the doors of the Town Hall on Monday 22 October to welcome Dock Workers for a special civic reception.
The dock workers association is one of this year’s charities chosen by the Lord Mayor, who has strong links to the docks, as all the men in her family worked on the docks or travelled to sea.
Lord Mayor, Councillor Sharon Sullivan said: “I am delighted and honoured to be welcoming some of our great dock workers to the Town Hall, more should be done to recognise the huge contribution dockworkers and merchant seamen and women have made to our city.
“The dockworkers have seen some of the darkest and most testing times in the Liverpool’s history and today is an opportunity to thank them for all their hard work and the strength of character they have shown at some very difficult times.
“We should never forget the hardships and sacrifices made by those working on the docks and their families, we all owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women who were great pioneers in the trade union movement.”
Terry Keague, a former dock worker said: “On behalf of all the dock workers I would like to thank the Lord Mayor for inviting us to the Town Hall today to recognise the work of the dockers and their families.
“The docks and its workers were, for many years, the life blood of this city, when work dried up many workers gained strength from supporting others in their struggles and I am delighted that we are finally getting the recognition we have deserved for so long.”