Ordeal Over, Now For Retirement

Newcastle Herald

Monday March 13, 2000

BARRY Evans is a relieved man.

The sacked fabric worker has only missed one day during the seven-week picket line outside National Textiles old Rutherford factory.

He said he's not really concerned about how much money he's won in the fight.

He's simply glad that it's all at an end.

`It's a very big relief that it's over, and I think I can say that for most of the picketers,' he said. `It went on for a long time and there was a lot of stressbecause it could have gone either way.'

Mr Evans, 64, worked at National Textiles for 43 years and was planning to retire this year.

The announcement in January to close the factory shocked him. But it also steeled his determination to fight for his entitlements, which total about $100,000.

He said he missed just one day on the picket so he could get a feel for what retirement was all about.

On that day he stayed at home, only a few kilometres from the factory, watched a little television and wondered what he'd do with himself.

`I used to look at the future, but it never worked out, so these days I never plan,' he said.

`I get out of bed and then decide what I'll do and now that this is all over I'll just keep going one day at a time,' he said.

Mr Evans said he was proud to have been involved in the picket because it showed that little people could win against the wealthy and it would help ordinary workers throughout Australia receive their entitlements. ? Paul Maguire