uniteWORKS Comment
STORIES
Len McCluskey General Secretary
The story of us
History is not the story of strangers, aliens from another realm; it is the story of us….History is memory’, wrote Stephen Fry some years back.
The story of us, Unite members today, unfolds in the pages to follow.
We walk in the footsteps of those who stood up against anti-Semitism, division and fear, our forefathers and mothers who faced down the hatred brought to east London by fascists in 1936.
The men and women whose bravery and decency saw off the blackshirts as dark forces gathered across Europe deserve the honour of our eternal remembrance, our annual pause for commemoration.
But with hate crime on the increase, and, appallingly, a government minister using a prominent pulpit to exhort employers to divide their workers according to their place of birth, more than ever we must recall the story of us that was the Battle of Cable Street.
Catch the thread of our history and follow it forward to the 1970s when another chapter is written in the story of us.
Forty years ago, some unusual ‘lions’ roared. At the Grunwick factory, the indomitable Jayaben Desai led a poorly paid, female Asian workforce in protest against workforce mistreatment. The world watched on. Thousands rallied in support. The union movement, slow to begin with, embraced the fighters. We helped them to win – and, in turn, they changed us forever and for the better.
The story of decency, equality, against injustice, for fairness – this is the story of us. And while these are the stories of our history, they are not our final words for our members are making history every, single day.
In our never-ending battle for decent work and human decency to be upheld, or as we face up to the most profound challenge to our nations since the second world war, Brexit, determined to ensure that leaving the EU does not imperil the jobs, rights and living standards of working people, time and again we are called upon to shape history.
The Unite family, winning together – that is the story of us.
TOP NEWS
BENEFIT SANCTIONS
Placards at the premiere
When Ken Loach’s new film about sanctions, I Daniel Blakemade its West End premiere in October, Unite Community members joined Ken on the red carpet.
Unite Community’s head Liane Groves explained. “The film’s premier was unique in that protesters were invited to demonstrate on the red carpet. Ken went out of his way to engage with the protesters. The film shines a spotlight onto the brutal way people who claim benefits are treated.”
uniteWORKS No:25 Published quarterly by Unite the union, 128 Theobalds Road, London, WC1X 8TN. Phone 0207 611 2500. Editor – Amanda Campbell Magazine enquiries and letters to the editor, by post, phone, or email
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Pictured is Ken discussing the film’s issues with Unite Community’s London and Eastern region co-ordinator, Dave Condliffe. Dave said, “We spoke about the commitment of Unite to expose people, through showing I Daniel Blake, to the reality of benefit sanctions, and to galvanise collectively through Unite Community in campaigning to get rid of sanctions.”
For more see page 30
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