Ep 4: Industrial unionism

Labour Days: a labour movement podcast

In this episode, Professor Edmund "the Brain" Mustill takes the gang through a potted history of industrial unionism, and discusses how it differs from craft-based models of trade unionism. We hear from Jade Baker, a teacher and National Union of Teachers (NUT) activist in south London, about the NUT's upcoming merger with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), to form the National Education Union (NEU). Daniel talks about his experiences as a rep and activist in National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport workers (RMT), and we discuss whether industrial unionism is still a relevant concept today. We also mention a few recent events at the top of the show, which we said we'd expand on in links in the episode description: * For a range of articles on the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and links to various support funds, see: https://theclarionmag.org/2017/06/15/grenfell/ * To support the United Voices of the World (UVW) following their win at LSE, visit their website: https://www.uvwunion.org.uk * For post-general election discussion and analysis, we recommend The Clarion magazine, co-edited by our very own Edd: http://theclarionmag.org * Keep up to date with the Picturehouse cinema workers' dispute, and donate to their strike fund, at http://www.picturehouselivingwage.com. For info on the outrageous sacking of four Bectu reps at The Ritzy cinema, see https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/30/stop-these-threats-in-picturehouse-dispute, and click here to see Helen Hayes MP asking a question about the dispute and the sacking at Prime Ministers' Questions: http://tinyurl.com/PMQ0717 The Eugene V. Debs article Edd quotes from is here - https://www.marxists.org/archive/debs/works/1905/industrial.htm. You should read more Debs generally. The clip of David Dimbelby announcing the exit poll on the BBC was taken from YouTube, and the intro music and audio motif taken from 'Labor' by Aesop Rock. We do not own this music, which is copyright Def Jux, 2001.