BARBARA BOSWELL remembers South African poet, storyteller, publisher, editor and activist Diana Ferrus (1953-2026)
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STELLA FOSTER appreciates a unique play about safety standards in the lost industry of steelworking, and the lessons to be drawn today
Corby Steelworker memorial and the cast of The Planks Gave Way
[Courtesy of GMB Northants community branch]
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SUE TURNER is compelled by a history that shows how far a country can turn in on itself to collude with abuses of power
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The Planks Gave Way
The Corby Cube, Corby
THIS weekend in Corby, International Workers’ Memorial Day was marked with the hard-hitting play The Planks Gave Way, commissioned by GMB to commemorate 25 years of remembering fallen workers.
Written and directed by local artist and activist Paula Boulton, The Planks Gave Way references the deaths of men working at Corby steelworks who fell into molten steel while walking across planks of wood in the course of their duties.
It examines changing working practices and their effects upon workers both then and now, from burns to burnout, and highlights the vital role of trade unions in protecting workers.
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