Labour prospects in May elections may be irrevocably damaged by Birmingham Council’s costly refusal to settle the year-long dispute, warns STEVE WRIGHT
WITH the Conservative government set to extend further pay restraint into a second decade, and with trade union activity at a historically low ebb, a new generation of trade union leaders are grappling with how to work with their members, and with politicians, to lever government policy.
There are some positive signs. Trade union membership has ticked up for a fourth year running.
New leaders such as Unite’s Sharon Graham have extensive experience in organising and leverage which has resulted in increased workplace actions.
A past confrontation permanently shaped the methods the state will use to protect employers against any claims by their employees, writes MATT WRACK, but unions are readying to face the challenge
Four decades on, the Wapping dispute stands as both a heroic act of resistance and a decisive moment in the long campaign to break trade union power. Lord JOHN HENDY KC looks back on the events of 1986
Since 2023, Strike Map has evolved from digital mapping at a national level to organising ‘mega pickets’ — we believe that mass solidarity with localised disputes prepares the ground for future national action, writes HENRY FOWLER



