S1/E1 Lydia Hughes & Lord John Hendy: The History of Trade Unions

In this first episode of this new series, we explore the history of trade unions in Britain. We learn about the decades of restrictions imposed on workers and how people continue to find ways to resist workplace inequities. Summary In this Red Pepper and Surviving Society collaboration we platform workers and academics to explore the history of trade unions and industrial action in Britain. Many of us within society feel disconnected from the politics of the workplace. Whilst action is at its highest level in decades, there remains very little substantive analysis of the backgrounds and longer histories that has led to specific strikes. The series places industrial action into wider debates about public ownership, capitalism and the economy.