Labour-supporting union backs Black Country flag in racism row
Trades union members have unanimously backed the Black Country flag in the wake of 'ludicrous' claims that it is racist.
Members of the Community Union who work at the Black Country Living Museum (BCLM) voted to support the flag, which was criticised for having 'racist connotations' by Labour MP Eleanor Smith.
She expressed concerns over the chains on the flag representing the slave trade, and called for it to be changed and replaced with one that 'represents us all as a collective rainbow of people’.
But members of the union, which actively supports the Labour party, have described the comments as 'an insult' to the memory of the region's industrial workers.
They say the flag, which was designed by schoolgirl Gracie Sheppard, reflects the proud industrial heritage of the Black Country.
Last week the row was the main point of discussion at a packed meeting of union members at the museum's Tipton Road site in Dudley.
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One BCLM worker said at the meeting: "To describe the flag as racist is ludicrous and an insult to the memory of the history of industrial workers in our region and the struggles they went through to provide a decent life for themselves and their families.”
Gavin Miller, regional secretary for Community in the Midlands, said: "Community members who work at the museum are proud and dedicated workers who go to great lengths to remind members of the public what it was like to have lived and worked in the Black Country in our industrial past.
"The design of the flag seeks to support that memory.”
Community has around 45,000 members in the UK and represents workers across a range of trades, including iron and steel, textiles, transport and voluntary organisations.
The views of Wolverhampton South West MP Ms Smith led to an overwhelming response from Express & Star readers, with 95 per cent of more than 42,000 people backing the flag in an online poll.
The row was sparked when Ms Smith did not turn up to a House of Commons photo shoot with the flag organised by Dudley North Labour MP Ian Austin.
She later claimed her comments - which were backed by hard left campaign group Momentum - had been 'misrepresented' by the E&S.
Ms Smith went on to express her concerns over the flag during her maiden speech in the House of Commons, prompting Theresa May to praise flag designer Ms Sheppard during PMQs.
