Showing posts with label Grunwick Strike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grunwick Strike. Show all posts

Monday 6 July 2020

Grunwick strike: Film of 'We are the Lions Mr Manager' available on-line for limited period.

Received from Townsend Theatre Productions

You can be the first to see our film of edited archive footage of the production 'We are the Lions, Mr. Manager! touring  2017-18/ filmed at TARA Theatre, Earlsfield, London in November 2017. 
To view film click link:  https://youtu.be/emDZYCbX_Eg  The film will be available for one month ONLY until 6th AUGUST.  Please click icon on bottom right that says cc for Subtitles.
If you enjoy the film please make a DONATION via our donate pop up or our Support Us page on our website: http://townsendproductions.org.uk

A suggested donation would be £3 which would help the company through these difficult times. Many thanks, and we hope very much you enjoy the film. Please keep an eye on our website for more online offerings coming soon, while we're not currently able to tour.

The Grunwick Strike of 1976 to 1978 wasn’t a strike about wages – it was about something much more important than that: it was about dignity. Dignity at work. Newly arrived immigrant workers were employed by the Grunwick film processing factory in North London in the belief that they would be easy to handle, to browbeat and to exploit. Yet, they found their own distinctive voice in the course of the struggle to secure their rights. Each morning the strikers, a group of predominantly Asian women led by Jayaben Desai, in colourful saris often hidden beneath heavy woollen coats, would take up their posts on the picket lines, unbowed and unbroken in the face of intimidation, the threat of arrest and the sting of the cold. Even during the hardest of times, Jayaben Desai had the uncanny ability to evoke a mood or sum up a situation with a perfectly weighted turn of phrase and a way and with words that captured the very essence of the human spirit. She had the measure of the most brutish and charmless of her managers, when she told them: ‘What you are running here is not a factory, it is a zoo. But in a zoo there are many types of animals. Some are monkeys who dance on your fingertips, others are lions who can bite your head off. We are the lions, Mr. Manager!’
Grunwick truly did make history: it focused the issue of the exploitation of immigrant workers, nailed the myth that Asian workers were passive and unorganisable and defined the trade union and political lives of tens of thousands from across the nation who came to the streets of Willesden to back the Grunwick workers. Grunwick was a defeat. But a struggle like Grunwick cannot be considered a total loss. It illustrated how a section of totally unorganised workers, ignorant of trade unionism and insecure in a foreign land can yet develop militancy and attract huge solidarity. It showed too that all the forces of the state, the monied, the media, the police, the courts, employers, racial prejudice and women’s inequality can be swept aside by the freshness and dynamism of determined struggle. Grunwick is still posing questions to today’s generation about the role in society of women, workers and immigrants. And the strike still carries a challenging message about the need for human dignity. 
The play was written by Neil Gore, directed by Louise Townsend and features Medhavi Patel as Jayaben Desai and Neil Gore as almost everybody else. 
COMING SOON! - Podcast of 'Dare Devil Rides To Jarama' & a documentary film of interviews made with Shipbuilding communities across the UK.
The script is available to buy from Stagescripts: 

Monday 11 September 2017

Lions of Grunwick immortalised as commemoration mural unveiled


It's finally here! Grunwick 40 is delighted to announce that the mural commemorating the Grunwick strike will be unveiled on Saturday 30th September at noon, Chapter Road, NW2 5ND (by Dollis Hill Jubilee line station).

Designed by artist Anna Ferrie and more than 60 participants at community workshops, the artwork has been a collaborative effort reflecting both memories of the strike for those who were present and the hope it represents for younger generations. Join us as we reveal a colourful memorial to mark this seminal moment in British history!

There will be a reception afterwards close by at Brent Mencap, 379-381 High Road, Willesden, NW10  2JR (Opposite Tony's pub).

Wembley Matters congratulates all involved.

Monday 31 October 2016

"We are the Lions" has opened to much praise and is stimulating solidarity with Deliveroo, Uber drivers and Durham teaching assistants

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 From Grunwick 40


 "We Are The Lions", the exhibition about the Grunwick strike is open and it's getting a fantastic reception! 

"History pulsating from the walls"

"A wonderful display of such an important, inspiring and pivotal moment in history"

You can read some of the press coverage herehere and here. What's more, you can also watch curator  Poulomi Desai talk about the exhibition on London Live here and listen to her too on the Robert Elms show (39 mins in).

We're really delighted at the feedback so don't forget to visit yourself! Click here for opening times and details.

Some upcoming events

This Weds 2nd November, we meet at SOAS for a screening of the "The Great Grunwick Strike" film. Directed by Chris Thomas in 2007 and featuring original footage and interviews, the film tells the inspiring story of the strike and the people behind it. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Amrit Wilson (writer and activist), Conseulo Moreno (SOAS Justice for Cleaners Campaign) and Sujata Aurora (chair of Grunwick 40). The discussion will be chaired by Parvathi Raman of the SOAS Centre for Migration and Diaspora Studies who have co-organised the event. Admission is free and there's no need to book, just turn up at 7pm to the Khalili Lecture Theatre at SOAS (Click here for details and a map).

The legal ruling last week on Uber drivers' employment rights has brought into sharp focus the issues of the so-called "gig economy" where many migrant workers are now concentrated. On 26th November we'll be bringing together activists, trade unionists, campaigners and thinkers, to discuss the legacy of the Grunwick strike and the new terrains for resistance. We'll be tracing the thread of what links Grunwick to current struggles for justice and participants will include the Durham teaching assistants and others currently in dispute. "From Grunwick to Deliveroo: getting organised, getting unionised" takes place from 10am-4.30pm in Willesden. Admission is free but registration is essential. Click here to book.

Finally, we are still working on the permissions and the paperwork for the unveiling of the mural and hope to make an announcement soon. In the meantime you can get a sneak preview of some of the work that went into the mural at the "We Are The Lions exhibition".

We look forward to seeing you either at the exhibition or at one of our November events.

Yours 

The Grunwick 40 team

Tuesday 18 October 2016

The Grunwick Lions roar again in Willesden





The 40th Anniversary Grunwick Exhibition opened to private view at Willesden Green Library  this evening and will be open to the public from tomorrow (Wednesday).

The Exhibition commemorates the Grunwick Strike which from small beginnings in 1976 grew to national proportions affecting the relationship between trade unions and the Labour government of the time and changing the nature of British trade unions and their attitude to women and migrant workers.

Among the guests this evening were several of the original strikers and some of those who organised in their support as well as younger activists who were inspired to organise and mount this Exhibition.

The Exhibition, on the 2nd floor of the Willesden Green Library is free and open from Monday to Friday  9am-8pm and Saturday to Sunday: 10am-5pm (Willesden Green tube - Jubilee line)
95 High Road, Willesden NW10 2SF.

















Monday 10 October 2016

Upcoming Grunwick40 events - exhibition, film, conference


From Grunwick40

Hi everyone
We’re really excited. There's just over a week to go until the opening of ‘We are the lions: an exhibition commemorating the Grunwick strike 1976-78’ – and it’s going to be amazing.
This exhibition wouldn’t have happened without your support. So we hope you’ll come and visit it at Brent Museum & Archives in Willesden, where it will run from October 19th 2016 to March 26th 2017. Opening times and details are here.
You’ll get a chance to explore archive images and records of the strike, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the 70s and have some fun creating your own responses to Grunwick in the creative area (kids welcome too!). We also have the original Grunwick Strike Committee banner on display with its highly unusual design – see if you can spot its influence throughout the look of the exhibition.
And don’t forget, if you like what you see, we’re also offering a free travelling exhibition to schools and community groups. Drop us an email at grunwick40@gmail.com to book it for a venue near you.
As if all this isn’t enough, November will also see us run two huge Grunwick events:
They’re both free and open to all, which means they’ll fill up fast – so make sure you don’t miss out.
Now we’re working to get the formal permissions sorted so that we can get our amazing community murals out into the streets of Brent – it’s taking a little longer than planned but don’t worry, you’ll be the first to hear about the great unveiling. 
See you at a Grunwick-themed event soon!

The team at Grunwick 40.
Grunwick 40 partner organisations are Brent Trades Council, Willesden Green Town Team and Brent Museum and Archive

Monday 3 October 2016

The Great Grunwick Strike - Film & Guest Speaker Saturday October 8th

From Preston Library Campaign

Doors open at 7.15, and the programme will start at 7.30. Our films are free, but we ask for donations which help us to run the library. Preston Community Library is in Carlton Avenue East, Wembley, HA9 8PL. The Great Grunwick Strike 1976 - 78: A History, is being shown as part of the commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the strike. The film will be introduced by Tessa van Gelderen, Treasurer of Grunwick40.

Saturday 5 March 2016

Special Branch files give an insight into Grunwick Strike Day of Action


Arthur Scargill remonstrates with police at Grunwick picket (Homer Sykes Archive)
As preparations continue to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Grunwick strike LINK fascinating Special Branch and Metropoitan Police files have been released LINK documenting their monitoring of this most political of strikes which included interventions by the Freedom Association and the National Union of Miners.

I well remember the sight of the NUM marching into Willesden on the Day of Action on July 11th 1977 and joining the demonstration in support of the mainly female and mainly Asian strikers. Locally the support of Cricklewood postal workers was vital.

Thanks to the Met you can read all about it!


Sunday 17 April 2011

Jayaben Desai: Lessons from the past for the future

The scene outside Grunwick's, Chapter Road, Willesden as painted by Dan Jones
The Tricycle Cinema was crowded this afternoon for a commemoration of Jayaben Desai, leader of the Grunwick Strike Committee, who died in December 2010.  The meeting temporarily brought together councillors and activists who have recently been battling over local council cuts.  As the audience reflected on the events of the 1970s both sides could draw lessons from this historical strike.

As I watched the film and once again saw Jayaben's bravery in the face of police violence, her impish sense of humour that bettered many a journalist, her self-identification as a strong woman against crude stereotypes of Asian female submissiveness and  most of all her steadfastness in standing up for her rights and that of her fellow workers, I could not help but be moved.  As people spoke about Jayaben from different perspectives our appreciation deepened. We heard from Amrit Wilson how Jayaben invited her to her home and talked at length about herself and the strike and the links with race and colonial struggle. It was alleged that George Ward, the Grunwick boss, continued to pursue Jayaben after her death, with threats of legal action against obituarists who mentioned accusations of racism  at Grunwick.

We heard from an Asian Women's group how Jayaben clashed with the group's chair about the suppression of ego and advised the women to stop buying jewellery with their money but instead empower themselves by using the money instead to buy driving lessons. It also emerged that she was an erudite contributor to the Gujerati Literary Society.

Cllr Janice Long asked for support to persuade Brent Council to name a building after Jayaben Desai to commemorate her life and urged to audience to write to the leader of the council, Cllr Ann John, who was  also present. Another speaker, stressing the need for children to be educated about the importance of Jayaben's role, urged that a school be named after here.

Broader issues were also raised. Pete Firmin linked the struggles of immigrant workers, and the support they received from  rank and file white trade unionists, with David Cameron's attacks on multiculturalism and the attempt to divide new arrivals into 'good' and 'bad' migrants.  Jack Dromey, then Secretary of Brent Trades Council and now a Labour MP reminded the meeting that a few years before Grunwick, dockers and Smithfield meat porters had marched in support of Enoch Powell after his 'rivers of blood' speech. Jayaben had said, 'We are lions - I am afraid of no one' . She went on to say that the strike had shown that immigrant workers will fight and white workers will support them. Dromey concluded that Grunwicks had 'demonstrated all that is best in our movement and in our immigrant community'.

There were many critical comments about the TUC's role at Grunwick's and warnings that their lack of will to fully use their potential power remains in 2011 as we face the attacks on public services, benefits and the vulnerable. Geoff Shears, at the time a young  legal representative for the strikers, confessed that he had felt intimidated by Mrs Desai.   He said that anti-trade union laws did not exist in their present form then but instead there was a conspiracy that enabled courts to break the law by restricting the solidarity action of postal workers, the police to break the law by attacking pickets, and George Ward to ignore the recommendations of the Scarman Inquiry that came down 90% in favour of the strikers.  He said that had prepared the ground for Thatcher in the 1980s and warned that it would be used again by the Coalition government.  Mrs Desai had understood the meaning of solidarity as requirement for workers to organise collectively to ensure that the unions served their interests.

Billy Hayes, General Secretary of the Communication  Workers Union (successor to the Union of Post Office Workers) said that the union's next conference would be considering awarding honorary membership to Jayaben Desai and wiping out the fines imposed by the union on the Cricklewood postmen who refused to deliver Grunwick mail at the time.

As I have remarked on this blog before LINK Jayeben and the story of Grunwick is a far better subject for children to study in Brent Black History Month than rehashed versions of American black history that currently dominate the curriculum.