A Welsh scaffolder has called out the Daily Mail after the newspaper ran a story that branded construction workers "woke" for discussing their feelings with colleagues. The Mail article - which carried the headline 'UK builders go WOKE' - also claimed modern tradesmen are "sensitive souls" who shun fried breakfasts and show interest in history, yoga and meditation.
The article has received significant backlash online, with critics describing it as "nonsense" and "shameful". It has been criticised not just for snobbery, but also for adding to the stigma around men's mental health and targeting an occupation that has the highest suicide rate among males in the UK.
Scaffolder Jamie Busby, 29, from Pembroke Dock, was so shocked when he saw the headline that he knew he had to respond immediately on behalf of the GMB Union, for which he is a representative. With his work colleague filming him, he fired back at the newspaper with an impassioned speech, telling its reporters to "give your head a wobble".
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In the video which has been viewed over 1.3 million times and received more than 45,000 likes on Twitter, Jamie says: "Hi, I'm Jamie, I'm a GMB Union Rep in construction at HPC (Hinkley Point C), Europe's largest construction site and I've got a message for the Mail newspaper about your story calling us all "woke".
"We work long hours on a manual job for long stretches away from our family and friends. We have the highest suicide rate among male occupations. It's not easy being away from your home and family but I guess you wouldn't understand that. So if you think it's a laugh to take the mick out of us about yoga and meditation and other things, like our feelings, speaking to each other about our mental health, you need to give your head a wobble and get in the real world.
"Mental health is massive and people need to speak to each other. Talking to each other saves lives. Forget your divisive culture wars and your 'woke' narratives and we'll carry on looking after each other here and our mental health at HPC and we'll carry on reading a proper newspaper as well, a working man's newspaper [holds up a copy of the Daily Mirror]. And we absolutely love a breakfast, so get your facts right!"
Jamie's response has been praised by viewers, who said they were happy to see the issue of mental health being taken seriously at sites like Hinkley Point. Speaking to WalesOnline, the father-of-three said he was "saddened and disheartened" when he saw the Mail article, but was pleased to see so many people show their support for construction workers in response.
"I was really taken aback when I saw it," he said. "I just felt saddened and disheartened by what had been written and I knew it needed an immediate response. I felt like the Mail wasn't really touching base on what they were saying, they weren't facts, and it felt like a cheap shot at us."
While the implication that men should not discuss their feelings is, in Jamie's words, "dangerous and damaging," the 29-year-old also said that "snobbery is at the centre" of the newspaper article, with the fact that some construction workers were found to be interested in classic music, art and novels deemed surprising and worthy of reporting on. Having lost colleagues to mental health issues, he knows all too well the devastating effect that these attitudes can have on men in construction.
"It really felt like that article was saying to construction workers: 'Just carry on what you're doing'," he said. "Like we shouldn't talk about our feelings or have these other interests. What they have to realise is that construction workers are the backbone of this country. We're the ones out there building everything and keeping the country going - if it takes a six foot, 16 stone scaffolder to come out and speak about his feelings, so be it.
"I've lost colleagues to mental health. I've come in one morning on some jobs and somebody has taken their own life the night before. It's a serious matter and it really needs to be discussed more, that's the only way we will get rid of this stigma."
Having been praised for speaking out about male mental health, Jamie wants to make sure men know it's okay to talk to each other about how they're feeling. While mental health is a priority at HPC, with over 300 mental health first leaders and facilities available 24/7, he knows there is a lot more to be done across the UK.
"The biggest message for me is, boys, talk to each other," he said. "The men here, they're men's men and they're hard men too. But just because you speak about your feelings, that doesn't mean you're not a hard man. If you're struggling, you're struggling, doesn't matter who you are.
"We've got boys who have split up with their wives or are going through stuff with their families, and they need to talk to each other about it. That's what we're trying to say, it doesn't make you weak to go and speak about these issues. We all have an emotional side, and that's so important. If you keep things bottled up, they'll eat you alive."
"And I don't know what the Mail are talking about - we all love a breakfast," he added. "We've got 7,000 workers on site here and the amount of breakfasts we go through here is unreal, so they're talking rubbish. I know I love a breakfast and so do all the lads here, it's our go-to meal!"
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