Our latest Fireside Chat is with one of our hosts, John, talking about his experiences organising at work in the public sector, first as an agency worker, then a permanent employee, and as a member and representative of Unison, the UK’s largest public sector union.
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Episode
- E105: Fireside Chat: Organising in the public sector – available exclusively for our supporters on Patreon
- Listen to a free public preview clip from the episode below:
E105: [TEASER] Fireside Chat – Organising in the public sector – Working Class History
In this episode, we discussed how John got started with organising, and the steps he followed to start building a sense of collective power, with union members and non-members alike. We then go into detail with some small local disputes and victories, and how these connected with the dynamics of large, national disputes – in particular, the public sector pensions dispute of 2011. We also talk about the relationship between union officialdom and struggles on the shopfloor.
While these experiences are specific to John, we do think many of the dynamics are pretty common, with similarities with many workplaces – especially office-based ones.
We plan on hosting more Fireside Chats like this with workers talking about their experiences organising on-the-job. So what did you think of this episode? And did you take part in any of the strikes mentioned in the episode? Have you had any similar experiences at your work? Please let us know in the comments!
More info
- Emergency Workplace Organising Committee – US-based project supporting workers in organising their workplaces
- Organising for Power – global training program from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation teaching the core fundamentals of organizing
Acknowledgements
- Thanks to our Patreon supporters for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to Jazz Hands, Jamison D. Saltsman, Fernando López Ojeda and Old Norm.
- Edited by Jesse French
- Our theme tune is Montaigne’s version of the classic labour movement anthem, ‘Bread and Roses’, performed by Montaigne and Nick Harriott, and mixed by Wave Racer. Download the song here, with all proceeds going to Medical Aid for Palestinians. More from Montaigne: website, Instagram, YouTube.
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