The Angels’ Share creator, Ken Loach has turned down the coveted lifetime achievement award from the Turin Film Festival in solidarity with the cleaning and security staff “sacked for fighting for their rights” at the museum hosting the event.

The 76-year-old British filmmaker, known for his staunch social activism, said the workers hired for cleaning and security services at the museum were mistreated, threatened and sacked after protesting over salary cuts, AFP reported

"The workers who were worst paid and therefore most vulnerable lost their jobs for opposition to a reduction in pay,"It is unfair that the poorest pay the price for an economic crisis they are not responsible for."

"How could I not respond to a request for solidarity from workers who were sacked for fighting for their rights?” he pondered. “Accepting the prize and just making some critical comments would have been weak and hypocritical," he explained.

The organizers replied that Loach had been "badly informed" about the situation and that his comments "do not correspond in any way with the reality of the facts".

"The museum cannot be considered responsible for the behavior of third parties, either directly or indirectly," the museum said in a statement, noting that it had always engaged in "ethically irreproachable" labor policies.

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