A BANNER celebrating a victory by North-East labourers over factory bosses is back on display in the region.

The Sunderland Employers' Nine Hour Banner was made in 1871 to commemorate workers winning a battle to reduce their working week to 54 hours - or nine hours a day over six days.

It is kept in the People's History Museum in Manchester, where leading conservator Roisin Miles has spent a year restoring it.

The refurbished standard goes on display today at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, as part of its exhibition High and Mighty: Banners from the North-East.

Hazel Edwards, keeper of history and curator of the exhibition, said: "After a long period of restoration, we are delighted to have this banner on show for the first time in Sunderland.

"Sadly, many older banners have been lost over time, but this exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to view some of the region's most popular banners within one of the region's most popular attractions."

The standard shows a Wearside employer granting the nine-hour day to a worker, with the Wearmouth Bridge and the pier visible in the background.

During the 1860s and 1870s, working conditions routinely included long hours.

Unions, still in their infancy, went on strike for the right to a nine-hour day, a move that was supported by workers across the region and a campaign in the Press.

The employers eventually backed down and, in an unusual step, the bosses commissioned the Nine-Hour Banner to celebrate the change in working practice.

It will be on show at the museum until January 4, when it returns to Manchester.

Other standards in the exhibition include some from the National Union of Mineworkers, the Co-op and various Sunday schools.