The postman and the primary teacher, the midwife and the musician. Workers in shops, workers at sea. Solidarity with the Columbian farmer and the Palestinian fireman…
Modern trade unionists in Scotland perform roles in every imaginable location and are drawn from all backgrounds. They campaign to win on issues facing the colleague next to them or a comrade thousands of miles away.
’Mon the Workers tells their stories in their own words. It is a celebration of 125 years of the STUC, and a clarion call for the next generation to agitate, organise and win.
This book demonstrates past achievements, explores the ideas trade unionists have fought for and rouses the movement towards future victories. 75 trade union members, reps and officials share experiences of union life from the anti-apartheid movement to Wick Wants Work. Alan McCredie’s charismatic portraits of 50 other activists from the trade union movement provide a complementary visual narrative.
This very human book pulses with the energy of Scotland’s trade union movement, which has achieved so much and still has more to do.
Table of Contents:
Foreword by Rozanne Foyer
Introduction
1. Victories
Justice for Surjit Singh Chhokar Aamer Anwar
Teachers’ march for better pay Adine Jones, Alison Beattie, Gillian [] and Leah Anderson
50/50 Campaign Agnes Tolmie
Wick Wants Work Allan Tait
Free school meals Andrea Bradley
The battle of Kenmure Street Anonymous
Apartheid, Mandela and Scotland Brian Filling
Freedom From Fear for shopworkers Caroline Baird
Fast food workers rise up Claire Peden
Opposing dockyard privatisation Colm McConnell
Call Centre Collective Craig Anderson
UCS Work-In David Cooper
1985 Teachers’ Strike David Drever and May Ferries
Better Than Zero Eilish O’Keefe
Pharmacists prescribe change Gordon Finlayson and Paul Flynn
Stopping NHS Privatisation Grahame Smith
Responding to Piper Alpha Jake Molloy
Defeating university pension cuts in 2018 Jeanette Findlay
Standing together for equal pay Jennifer McCarey
Caterpillar lock-in John Foster
Abolishing fire and rehire John Kelly
Building a winning branch John Neil
Time For Inclusive Education Jordan Daly and Liam Stevenson
Menopause policy for railway workers Kim Gibson
Bargaining for NHS workers Lilian Macer
Keeping guards on trains Mary Jane Herbison
Saving the Fife yards Michael Sullivan
From Polaris to a Scottish Parliament Pat Milligan
Saving school kitchens Paul Arkison
Saving skilled jobs in a pandemic Paul Leckie
Blind workers’ rights Robert Mooney
Battle for Royal Mail Tam Dewar
Repealing Section 2A Tracy Gilbert
2. Ideas Worth Fighting For
Black Workers’ Committee Anita Shelton
Resistance, unity and pensions Cat Boyd
Fighting for older workers Elinor McKenzie and Helen Biggins
Women’s Committee prison visit Janet Cassidy
By artists, for artists Janie Nicoll and Lynda Graham
Helping the firefighters of Palestine Jim Malone
Visiting Palestine Liz Elkind
Michael’s Story and International Workers’ Memorial Day Louise Adamson
Another side to the miner’s strike Margot Russell
Playing the union card Michael Devlin
Learning on the job Michelle Boyle
Anti-fascism, then and now Mike Arnott
A workers’ newspaper Ron McKay
Marching against racism Satnam Ner
Solidarity with Chile Sonia Leal
Union learning and growth in the taxi trade Stevie Grant
Justice for Columbia Susan Quinn
Solidarity visit to Bhopal Tony Sneddon
3. The Struggle continues
Pardon for Miners Alex Bennett
Safe Home campaign Caitlin Lee
Working together for climate justice Catrina Randall
Protecting black workers in a pandemic Charmaine Blaze
Climate and unions at COP26 Coll McCail
Worker safety during Covid Deborah Vaile
Unionising Produce Workers Derek Mitchell
A unique LGBT Network Eilidh Milliken
Changing the music industry Iona Fyfe
Making a stand with Macmerry Keetah Konstant
Battling labour casualisation in academia Lena Wanggren
Action on Asbestos Phylliss Craig
Asda equal pay Rose Theresa Skilling
Carers during Covid Shona Thomson
From Timex to Better Than Zero Stella Rooney
Workers in the gig economy Xabier Vill0ares
About the Author :
Daniel Gray is the author of Homage to Caledonia, Stramash, Saturday 3pm and Scribbles in the Margins. He has written eight other books on football, politics, history and travel. His recent work has included screenwriting, presenting social history on television, editing Nutmeg – a Scottish football magazine – and writing across a number of national titles. He also presents the When Saturday Comes podcast.
Alan McCredie is the author of 100 Weeks of Scotland, Scotland the Dreich, Scotland the Braw and Edinburgh the Dreich. He has collaborated with authors Daniel Gray, Val McDermid and Stephen Millar on books including This Is Scotland, Snapshot, Tribes of Glasgow and Val McDermid’s Scotland. His work has appeared in national and international publications. As well as being a freelance photographer he is a lecturer in photography at Edinburgh College.
Review :
Mon should grace the shelves of union offices across the country... well worth reading and well worth returning to as a resource. STUART FAIRWEATHER, DEMOCRATIC LEFT SCOTLAND
Mon the Workers is not just a piece of commemorative history. It’s also part of the organiser’s toolkit. The power of these stories is that they are told by workers in their own voices. JENNI GUNN, SCOTTISH LEFT REVIEW
