What trade unionism? A transport strike case study
A case study of a dispute which illustrates the impact of different models of trade unionism and some of the challenges facing workplace activists.
Sussex Academy Trust faces strike from angry workforce – UBAT strike report
Lou Hayton reports from one of the picket lines where Sussex NEU members are fighting back against the University of Brighton Academies Trust
Jane McAlevey 1964-2024
Ian Allinson pays tribute to and assesses the work of Jane McAlevey, the US-based organiser and author who popularised many organising concepts and techniques, and who inspired and trained thousands of activists
Green class struggle: workers and the just transition
Climate politics is not the playground of distant elites, but a field where collective action is decisive.
UNISON conference backs Palestine, organising, strikes and trans rights
rs21 members in UNISON report that the recent National Delegate Conference saw continued progress and highlighted areas for campaigning and reform.
Stand with Gaza: Palestine solidarity reports round-up
rs21 members round up some Palestine solidarity events that happened over the last week.
Report from the Global Climate Jobs conference
Critical discussions on the role workers’ organising must play in the transition to a zero carbon economy.
‘Troublemakers at Work’: Why trade unions need a militant rank-and-file
‘Troublemakers’ brought trade unionists and activists together to discuss the importance of a militant rank-and-file.
What is the potential for rank-and-file organisation today?
There is renewed interest in rank-and-file organisation, but confusion about what this means and what is possible.
The Saramago dispute: hospitality organising in Glasgow
An interview with the workers who organised.
Reflections on International Workers’ Memorial Day
To mark IWMD, the rs21 Art Group made a zine with Cut-Through Collective, which we distributed in Glasgow and London across the May Day weekend.
Intersectional organising wall-to-wall at Rutgers University
Tempest member Dana Cloud spoke to Rutgers professor and union leader Deepa Kumar about how the unions united faculty and graduate students across academic ranks in a strike that brought the administration to the bargaining table and won major gains. This strike is a signal moment in the USA’s higher education labour movement. This interview first […]
Climate Camp Scotland unites climate, migrant and workers’ struggles
Climate Camp Scotland saw hundreds of climate and community activists gather to discuss the practice and theory of fighting for climate justice.
How a GMB ‘partnership’ deal undermines the union at Deliveroo
We talk to union activists on the ground and those studying the gig economy about the deal.
‘If you want to organise at work, buy this book’
Organising at work can rebuild working-class power. In his forthcoming book, long-time activist Ian Allinson explains how it’s done.
Lowering expectations: misrepresentations of McAlevey
Trade unionists have been inspired by McAlevey’s work. But now sections of the union bureaucracy are co-opting her insights.
How can unions rebuild power?
Ian Allinson reviews Jane Holgate’s new book, Arise! Power, Strategy and Union Resurgence, an exploration of why unions have failed to revitalise themselves.
Sharon Graham wins stunning Unite victory
Graham recognises the need to focus on rebuilding workplace power to reverse union decline.
Ongoing Manchester bus strike defeats fire and rehire
The longest bus strike in British history is poised to win after a campaign involving an indefinite strike, community solidarity and a leverage strategy.
Who should be Unite’s next General Secretary?
Campaigning for Unite’s general secretary election is underway. None of the candidates is ideal, but rs21 argues for critical support for Sharon Graham.
Justice over profit – organising in the legal sector
The law is often seen as a privileged arena, but the industry has staggering wage inequality. Two founding members of Legal Sector Workers United explain their strategy.
Indefinite bus strike in Manchester against #FireAndRehire
Around 400 Unite members at a bus garage in north Manchester have been on indefinite strike since 28 February against fire and rehire. Ian Allinson explains what is going on and the strike’s wider significance.
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists revisited
Construction workers have been among the hardest-hit by Covid-19, with profit-hungry bosses keeping sites open throughout the pandemic.
Combatting unsafe workplaces: an interview with Janet Newsham
Every workplace is a Covid frontline, as employers try to force workers into unsafe situations. We interviewed Janet Newsham of the Hazards Campaign, which is fighting back.
Next steps in the fight for safe schools
The government’s retreat on school closures won’t last forever. Education workers need to go on the offensive.
NEU: preparing for the fight of our lives
Supporting teachers to refuse unsafe work is the NEU’s immediate and overwhelming priority, but we also need to learn the lessons from last June and ballot for strike action.
Retail tales of festive frenzy
For many bookshop workers, Christmas is a season of stress and exploitation – but it could also be the perfect time to put pressure on management.
Unemployment and class power: the example of Portugal
Worker organising in Britain will have to change to take account of rising mass unemployment. We can learn from how workers in Southern Europe faced the wave of austerity after the last economic crisis.
The exception as the rule: Toronto’s social reproduction organising
In Toronto, community organisers are battling Covid in the shadow of colonial racial capitalism.