History

An “entirely different” kind of union: the Service, Office, and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada (SORWUC), 1972–1986 – Julia Smith

Submitted by Councils and Co... on Sep 1 2017 09:57
SORWUC

An in depth article which examines the Service, Office, and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada (SORWUC), an independent, grassroots, socialist-feminist union that existed from 1972 to 1986. They organised workers in marginalised, low-paying, largely female-dominated sectors that weren’t high priorities for the much larger business unions.

This article was published in the Canadian academic journal Labour/Le Travail, vol. 73, in 2014.

Dormant Seeds of 1848- John Hewetson

Submitted by Reddebrek on Aug 30 2017 20:19

John Hewetson's analysis of the important lessons of the uprisings that threatened the rulers of Europe in 1848.

From A Hundred Years of Revolution: 1848 And After, edited by George Woodcock (Porcupine Press, London, 1948)

Defence of the Polish post office in Danzig

Submitted by nikolabudanovic on Aug 30 2017 17:35
Memorial to the workers outside the post office

A short account of the employees of the Danzig post office who fought the Nazis for 15 hours during the invasion of Poland before they were captured, written by Nikola Budanovic. This article was first published on warhistoryonline.com.

Sex work organisation in the global south

Submitted by Anonymous on Aug 30 2017 11:01
Sex workers protest in India

An overview by Gregor Gall of sex workers' organising and unionisation efforts in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

London women tram workers: equal pay strike 1918

Submitted by Steven. on Aug 29 2017 18:45
Photos of the strike

Interesting additional information about the 1918 strike of women workers on London transport.

London mass strike, 1889

Submitted by Steven. on Aug 29 2017 15:10
Dockers on strike, London 1889

A short account of the mass strike in London which spread from the great docks strike in the East End and peaked on 1 September with up to 300,000 strikers.

To praise Ginger Goodwin is to revere a radical – Mark Leier

Submitted by Councils and Co... on Aug 28 2017 19:43
Ginger Goodwin

Feisty miner reminds that comfortable compromisers are easily forgotten.

In this piece (originally published by The Tyee in 2014), Mark Leier, author of Bakunin: The Creative Passion, emphasises the radical edge of Ginger Goodwin – the English migrant coal miner turned labour organiser who is recognised as a martyr by many workers in British Columbia, Canada – by comparing him to one of his contemporaries.

1912: a year of strikes in the East End of London

Submitted by Steven. on Aug 25 2017 14:58
Striking transport workers meet in Trafalgar Square, 1912

An account by John Rennie of the strikes which swept East London in 1912: particularly on the docks and amongst Jewish tailors.

Alfredo Bandelli (1945-1994), proletarian singer-songwriter of the Italian autonomist movement

Submitted by bisognasognare on Aug 24 2017 10:10

Biography of Alfredo Bandelli, a working class militant and songwriter whose songs anonymously became the anthems of the 1968-1977 movements.

1848 The Year of Revolutions- George Woodcock

Submitted by Reddebrek on Aug 24 2017 01:27

George Woodcock charts the events of the revolutionary wave that swept Europe in 1848. Assessing their political characters, their accomplishments and defeats.