A TRADE union representative working at Hinkley Point C has emphasised the importance of speaking about mental health.

His comments were made after the Daily Mail published an article on its website headlined: ‘UK builders go WOKE: Study finds three quarters of tradesmen discuss their feelings with colleagues while two thirds shun the fried breakfasts and nearly half say they are history buffs’.

The Mail article referenced a poll of 2,000 builders and described modern tradesmen as “sensitive souls more likely to enjoy yoga, muesli, listening to Radio 4 and sharing their feelings”.

The word ‘woke’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017, which says it is mainly used to describe being “alert to racial or social discrimination and injustice”. 

The Oxford Learner's Dictionaries website adds: “This word is often used in a disapproving way by people who think that some other people are too easily upset about these issues, or talk too much about them in a way that does not change anything.”

The GMB Union, which represents over 500,000 workers, tweeted a video in response to the Mail's article yesterday. 

In the video, Jamie, a GMB union representative at Hinkley Point C, said: “I’ve got a message for the Mail newspaper about your story calling us all ‘woke’.

“We work long hours on a manual job for long stretches away from our family and friends. We have the highest suicide rate among male occupations.

“It’s not easy being away from your home and family but I guess you wouldn’t understand that.

“So, if you think it’s a laugh to take the mick out of us about yoga and meditation and other things, like our feelings, speaking to each other about our mental health, you need to give your head a wobble and get in the real world.

“Mental health is massive, and people need to speak to each other. Talking to each other saves lives. Forget your divisive culture wars and your ‘woke’ narratives, and we’ll carry on looking after each other and our mental health at HPC.”

He then held up a copy of the Daily Mirror, describing it as a “proper working man’s newspaper”, and added: “And we absolutely love a breakfast, so get your facts right!”.

Construction work began at Hinkley Point C, located near Bridgwater, in 2016. 

The project - currently the largest building site in Europe - will see two new nuclear reactors built to provide zero-carbon electricity for around six million homes.