Labour movement history in Britain shows workers secured reforms through collective pressure and political representation, rather than being gifted from above, writes KEITH FLETT
Latest editorial
Breaking down barriers – Usdaw launches its Black Members Development Programme
Usdaw general secretary PADDY LILLIS introduces a new initiative to improve the representation of black members and make sure the union properly reflects its wider membership
ROGER McKENZIE draws attention to the much-neglected oral traditions of the global South that define the identity – and therefore the liberation – of its custodians
Established as a landmark victory for the climate movement, the CCC promised to hold governments to account. Today, it is understating the danger of climate chaos and impeding the radical action needed, says IAN SINCLAIR
The real ‘humanitarian threat’ isn’t Cuba but the United States, where poverty, lack of healthcare and illiteracy abound, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
CLAUDIA WEBBE looks at how Britain’s Nato ally has upped the stakes in its effort to silence domestic dissenting voices
IT GAVE me very great pleasure this week, at the Usdaw annual delegate meeting in Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, to be able to announce that applications for our new Black Members Development Programme are now officially open.
This is a new start for a continuing and hugely significant journey for our union, as we seek to overcome the under-representation of black members in our movement.
Like most other unions, black members in Usdaw are under-represented in union roles and at union events. Around 17 per cent of our members are black and they are not always as visible or as rooted in our structures as they could be.
Similar stories
For generations black women have shaped Britain’s activism, arts and public life despite exclusion and discrimination. ZITA HOLBOURNE pays tribute to these political trailblazers and cultural icons, whose courage continues to inspire
On the 121st anniversary of communist Claudia Jones’s birth ROGER McKENZIE looks at political events that shaped her, and those she helped shape
Women are a vital part of the labour movement and have much to contribute, but there’s far more to be done to make sure that our sisters’ voices are truly heard, says PHILIPA HARVEY
Incoming Usdaw general secretary JOANNE THOMAS talks to Ben Chacko about workers’ rights, Labour and how to arrest the decline of the high street