Blair poppy comment rebuke to Mowlam, Trimble

The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, has described Mr Tony Blair's comment that no one should be penalised for wearing a poppy as a rebuke to his Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam.

And as 20 employees suspended for wearing poppies returned to the Coats Viyella plant in Derry yesterday, efforts began to try to avert further such controversies. The workers had contravened company policy which restricted the wearing of poppies at work to a limited number of days around the anniversary.

After the British Prime Minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday that "no worker should be penalised for wearing a poppy", Mr Trimble said there was an implicit rebuke of Dr Mowlam in his remark.

Mr Trimble said he hoped that Coats Viyella would take notice of Mr Blair's views and compensate the workers for their loss of pay. "I hope also that the Secretary of State will instruct the Fair Employment Commission in accordance with the Prime Minister's statement."

Dr Mowlam was not saying anything yesterday on Mr Trimble's interpretation of Mr Blair's comments, although on Wednesday she said his remarks could not be "portrayed in that way".

"People have an individual right to wear a poppy, and individuals will make that decision. I'm very keen that we acknowledge the loss of life, both in the North and in the Irish Republic."

The 20 workers - including a veteran of the Falklands war - went to back to work yesterday, which was the first day they were officially allowed to wear the poppy. According to a company spokesman, appeals by the men against the suspensions are to be heard in the coming days.

A working party has been established at Coats Viyella to try to avoid future controversies. In a further conciliatory gesture the company has also decided that a two-minute period of silence will be allowed in the works canteen on Monday, Remembrance Day.

Meanwhile, the RUC told nationalists in Bellaghy that a protest they planned to stage on Sunday must be postponed until after a British Royal Legion parade through the Co Derry village. Local nationalists oppose the parade because the legion is being led by a band which, they claim, was involved in a loyalist protest outside Harryville Catholic church in Ballymena.

Mr Ronnie Currie, of the British Legion in Bellaghy, said the band had led the legion parade in the village for decades. He said the accusations against the band were disproved.

The Sinn Fein Mid-Ulster MP, Mr Martin McGuinness, said the decision to delay the nationalist parade was disturbing. "It is also regrettable that the British Legion could not see their way to accepting a compromise suggestion put forward by the concerned residents that the parade be headed by a neutral band such as the Salvation Army Band," he added. "This would have allowed the parade to pass off without bad feeling or ill-will," said Mr McGuinness. The RUC decision was "insensitive in the extreme".

Sinn Fein has criticised the Northern Ireland Office Minister, Lord Dubs, for saying that nationalists who refuse to wear the poppy may be damaging their own cause. He told the Andersonstown News he could not understand why some nationalists opposed the wearing of a poppy.

He felt that as Catholics and Protestants from both sides of the Border had fought against Nazism, it should be a symbol to unite rather than to divide.

However, Ms Chrissie McAuley, a Sinn Fein councillor in west Belfast, said Lord Dubs should wake up to the fact "that there are different realities here and that the equality agenda means giving equal status to nationalist opinions.

"Nationalists understand the sacrifice of those who died in the world wars . . . However, the reality is that British forces have been involved in a military conflict here for 30 years."