A day to stand up and be counted

When major news stories hit the headlines, it is all too easy to get hung up on the numbers.

More than 1,000 protesters marched to the Scottish Parliament yesterday – the biggest union demonstration in recent times.

They made a stand in the hope of saving 1,400 jobs at Fife firm BiFab – one of the region’s largest employers.

Unions say a dispute over payments has caused the company’s difficulties, however, the contractor concerned, Seaway Heavy Lifting, insists it has paid 61% of the project value for the 61% of the work that has been completed.

Figures are important and the sums and stakes are huge here.

The arrival of Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to the negotiating table – after an early flight home from the Climate Change Conference in Germany – is a signal of how seriously the crisis is being regarded at the top levels of government on either side of the border.

However, the images of marching workers, many accompanied by their children and other family members, in today’s pages are a reminder that BiFab’s troubles are not just about bottom lines and spread sheets.

This is a story about ordinary men, women and children and the loss of these jobs would be a personal tragedy for each and every person involved.

Numbers matter but people count too. And the BiFab marchers proved that yesterday.