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".
