AS the new year approaches, we find ourselves still in the midst of a pandemic that shows no sign of ending, and on the brink of a financial crash and climate crisis.

World leaders have shown themselves to be wholly inadequate in their response to these challenges, prioritising profit over people.

We are seeing creeping authoritarianism in society, with the old neoliberal order fading only to be replaced by something even more sinister.

As we enter 2022, trade unions must now lead the way in formulating and demanding a response — but is the trade union movement capable of this?

It must be conceded that decades of neoliberal thought which champions the cult of the individual have taken their toll.

But now has to be the time for us to fight back, and Strike Map will be a part of it.

This December, Strike Map celebrates its first anniversary. In one year alone we have mapped over 150 strikes. Most of these will never get a mention in the mainstream press.

The fact that these strikes took place is in itself an achievement. The anti-trade union laws in Britain make collective action exceedingly difficult.

With inflation running wild and the cost of living on the rise, it is no surprise that pay is the most common reason people take action, but we are also seeing the worrying trend of “fire and rehire,” a practice illegal in a number of countries.

Here in Britain, greedy bosses are using the pandemic as an excuse to fire their staff only to rehire them on worse conditions.

Trade union membership is on the rise and has been for the past four years. However there is still a low density, less than 25 per cent, with figures even lower across the private sector.

Despite this, the private sector has seen the most strike action. Activity still is low but there is a growth in action taking place.

October earned the moniker, “Striketober” and saw over 15 new strikes land on our map, matching a rise in action in the United States.

This year has shown us the power of collective action. Cleaners, members of the United Voices of the World union (UVW) working at the La Retraite Catholic Girls’ School in south-west London, secured a massive 24 per cent pay rise through their strike action.

The heroic battles for Barnoldswick secured a future for their plant, saving not only hundreds of employees from redundancy but also the life and soul of the local area which relies on the Rolls-Royce factory.

We are also seeing a growth of the “Roovolt” — Deliveroo riders and others in the gig economy are starting to organise and take direct action against appalling working conditions.

This year has seen the biggest gig economy strike British history — weeks of strikes this month saw six McDonald’s restaurants in Sheffield picketed, with strikes spreading to Blackpool, Chesterfield, Sunderland and Huddersfield, causing some stores to have had to stop taking orders altogether.

A year ago we launched with a very basic map and website. Since then we’ve developed, with the help of our supporters, a more sophisticated site that allows for easier searching and sharing of solidarity messages to strikers via email and social media.

Not only does Strike Map act as a tool to monitor current strike action it also acts as an archive for the stories of workers in their struggle. We have hosted 20 “strike stories” of workers sharing experiences of those involved in industrial action.

It is important that the trade union movement uses every tool at its disposal to spread our message.

That’s why we launched our “Comrades” show, bringing rank-and-file fighters together to share their organising experiences.

We know that the work of Strike Map is only the tip of the iceberg, there is amazing work being done all across the country and in fact, the world.

Sharing these skills and knowledge is at the heart of what we want to achieve, which is why we hosted our international book club with Pluto Press, reaching 10,000 viewers, bringing international examples of trade union action together and learning about different approaches to worker power.

As we move into year two of Strike Map, we are keen to build ever-closer links with trade unions across the Britain.

There have been strikes we have missed and other actions we hope to get on our map in the future.

We call on union members, reps and officers to get in touch to discuss further how Strike Map can support you taking action.

In our first year we have brought together rank-and-file organisers, class fighters from across the globe to help us learn more about the strategies of workers fighting for power.

It has been a great first year, but the work is not finished. There is still a world to win.

Henry Fowler and Robert Poole are Strike Map UK co-founders — www.strikemap.co.uk and Twitter: @strikemapuk.