On this day in 1978, one of the first strikes of the British "Winter of Discontent" began when 15,000 Ford workers, mostly from the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), began an unofficial strike.
The Winter of Discontent took place during 1978-79 in the United Kingdom, characterized by widespread strikes from both private and public sector trade unions. Some of these industrial disputes caused great public inconvenience, exacerbated by the coldest winter in 16 years in which severe storms isolated many remote areas of the country.
On September 22nd, 1978, one of the first strikes of the "Winter of Discontent" began when 15,000 Ford workers, mostly from the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU), began an unofficial strike.
The number of participants later grew to 57,000. As the months progressed, workers from multiple industries went on strike, including lorry drivers, garbage collectors, and gravediggers. It was the largest UK labor stoppage since 1926.
The Winter was a disaster for the incumbent Labour Party. The magazine Socialist Worker quoted one council worker as saying "We had to strike because Labour betrayed us".
The Labour Party was swept out of power in the 1979 election, leading to the premiership of Margaret Thatcher.
Winter of Discontent 1978-9: ‘We struck because Labour betrayed us’ Socialist worker uk :long-corbyn:
Winter of Discontent wikipedia :ukkk:
Megathreads and spaces to hang out:
- ❤️ Come listen to music with your fellow Hexbears in Cy.tube
- 💖 Come talk in the New weekly queer thread
- 🧡 Monthly Neurodiverse Megathread
- 💛 Read about a current topic in the news
- ⭐️ May Movie Schedule ⭐️
reminders:
- 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
- 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes struggle sessions over upbears
- 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
- 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can go here nerd
Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):
Aid:
- 💙Comprehensive list of resources for those in need of an abortion -- reddit link
- 💙Resources for Palestine
Theory:
Howdy :deng-cowboy: