Working Lives Research Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Trades unionism is not dead:
New book reveals the new generation of activists
A new book from Dr Sian Moore of London Metropolitan University’s Working Lives Research Institute tells how a new generation of activists is emerging, motivated by gender, race and ethnicity.
The book, New Trade Union Activism: Class Consciousness or Social Identity? gives voice to 30 working people, from cleaners to call centre operators, who have become active trade unionists. These are people from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including migrant workers, young people, gay and transgender workers.
“Despite a cold climate for trade unionism, new activists are emerging,” says Dr Moore.
“In this book, workers tell their own stories about why they become active and how they see their trade union activity.
“It refutes arguments that class is no longer important or that it has been overtaken by other social identities based upon gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality or disability.
“Work remains central to identity, but gender, race and ethnicity are crucial components of work relations too and are therefore a vital part of wider, collective identity and consciousness among workers.
“Despite legacies of political defeat, the workers in this book hold out the possibility of trade union renewal at a moment when opposition to the entrenchment of inequality is absolutely necessary.”
-Ends-
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Praise for the book:
Trades Union Congress Deputy General Secretary, Frances O'Grady:
“This timely exploration of what motivates trade unionists to become active is essential reading for all those interested in the future of trade unionism.”
Professor Anna Pollert, University of the West of England:
“What makes this book unusual is the lucid, yet nuanced way in which it unravels
workers’ testimonies and reveals how fluctuating and fusing identities of class, gender, sexuality, race and age are driving forces for change in the world of work.”
Notes to Editors:
Dr Sian Moore is Reader at the Working Lives Research Institute (WLRI) at London Metropolitan University. She has published on gender and class, trade union recognition, learning and activism. She previously worked on the Leverhulme Future of Unions programme at the London School of Economics, at the Labour Research Department and in local government, where she was a NALGO activist.
The WLRI is a centre for research and teaching, based in London Metropolitan University's Faculty of Applied Social Sciences. It undertakes socially committed academic and applied research into all aspects of working lives, emphasising equality and social justice, and working for and in partnership with trade unions.
For more information:
Dr Sian Moore: http://www.workinglives.org
020 7320 1318 sian.moore@londonmet.ac.uk
Victoria George, London Met Press Office:
020 7320 1349 v.george@londonmet.ac.uk
Download this press release as a Word file here:
New book by Dr Sian Moore.doc
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Order Form.pdf