Analysis: 240 bright sparks of light in dark times

The 240 women who fought to keep their jobs at Lee Jeans captured the imagination of the country at a time when it was being crushed by unemployment.

Scotland's unemployment rate was over 13 per cent - and in some areas of Greenock and Port Glasgow it was as high as 25 per cent.

The women who worked at Lee Jeans had seen the impact this had had on their fathers, brothers and husbands and were often the sole earners in the household. So they weren't working for pin money, they weren't prepared to compromise, they just wanted to - needed to - keep their jobs.

It is easy to underestimate the scale of the challenge they faced, and not just in taking on their American masters. At a recent reunion of the Lee Jeans workers, one of the women told me about her young husband's incredulous reaction when she told him she wasn't coming home because she was sitting in.

"Who is going to make my tea?" was his astonished response. Needless to say, that man soon learned his way round the kitchen.

They did not expect to be there for seven nights, but ended up staying for seven months.

The news spread quickly, and it was the talk of the shipyards the next morning. I had known Helen Monaghan, the convener, for some time, and I visited the factory with my trade union colleagues with the money we had collected and messages of support.

This was very much a female occupation and there were no warnings about "bevvy or vandalism", as at UCS. Instead, cleaning and cooking rotas were drawn up and babies were even brought up in the factory.

These women became an inspiration, not just because of the stand they took, but because they won that fight and kept their jobs. At a time when the trade union movement was demoralised, the Lee Jeans offered a spark of light in very dark times.

I like to think the Scottish Parliament was brought about by the resistance of those who fought and did not get victory. This year, we need to use those examples of the commitment and determination to fight for the right to work.

It is a reminder that this parliament was set up to ensure that the people of Scotland were protected from uncaring governments which believe that unemployment is a price worth paying.

• Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, is a former trade union convener.