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Harland and Wolff employees have returned to work after the sale of the closure-threatened shipyard.<\/p>\nHarland and Wolff employees have returned to work after the sale of the closure-threatened shipyard.<\/p>\n
There were cheers as the remaining staff walked through the gates in Belfast in the morning.<\/p>\n
It followed a nine-week campaign which saw a worker-led round-the-clock occupation of the historic site \u2013 where Titanic was built \u2013 after it was placed into administration over the summer.<\/p>\n
Workers claimed victory earlier this week when it was announced that a buyer had been found.<\/p>\n
Harland and Wolff has been bought for \u00a36 million by InfraStrata, a London-based company that specialises in energy infrastructure projects.<\/p>\n
Steel worker and GMB shop steward Barry Reid described Thursday morning at the shipyard gates as \u201cthe day we prayed would come\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody is ecstatic at what has happened, we believed in ourselves, we believed in the company, we have been proved right,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a great day for the workers of Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UK’s Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd and Ulster Unionist MLA Andy Allen were among a number of supporters who turned out.<\/p>\n
Steel worker and Unite shop steward Joe Passmore addressed the workers briefly before they walked through the shipyard gates.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we have achieved has been historic,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery one of us needs to be extremely proud of ourselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can see what we are going to achieve when we go through there \u2013 it\u2019s going to set the world alight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the new Harland and Wolff, we\u2019re the community that is going to build that new Harland and Wolff, so believe in yourselves and be very proud of yourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
To cheers, he added: \u201cNow, let\u2019s get back to work.\u201d<\/p>\n