Society / Trade Unions

Around the world, workers use the general strike as a strategy to win their demands and tip the balance of power in their favour.

Britain’s rail unions reflect on the legacy of 1926.

Josefina Salomón and Patricio A Cabezas report on the workers resisting Javier Milei’s anti-labour agenda – from occupying factories to bringing the country to a standstill.

Minnesota’s victory over ICE shows how people are reclaiming and redefining the general strike for a new era, says Kim Kelly.

Labour lawyer Franck Magennis talks to Decca Muldowney about the legacy of strike-breaking legislation.

The general strike of 1926 is often told through the voices of those who opposed it. Less known are the rich and diverse experiences of the working-class people who leapt to the defence of striking miners around the country: downing tools, setting up strike commitees and soup kitchens.

As millions of British workers downed tools in 1926, solidarity for the locked-out miners spread across the globe. Edd Mustill explores the forgotten international story that shaped the struggle.

From 1926 to 2026. A century on, Bethany Rielly and Decca Muldowney examine Britain’s only general strike, a walk out with a scale and impact that remains unprecedented in the country’s history. What can movements learn from it today?

Workers are resisting Trumpism – but some corners remain silent. America’s labour movement must now decide if it will stand against fascism or fall with it, argues Kim Kelly.

How can we build our power to abolish illegitimate debt? Astra Taylor speaks to Amy Hall about founding Debt Collective, a US-based union for debtors.

When South Africa’s largest trade union broke with the ruling alliance, left-wingers saw cause for hope – but things soon turned sour. Niall Reddy and William Shoki explore the consequences of what happened next.

From rank and file unionist heroes to industrialist lone wolves, Bollywood storytellers and ‘content creators’ have shifted to write out India’s collective spirit. Ishika Saxena questions what this means for how the country’s citizens can be brought together.

Work from home policies aren’t going anywhere. So, with many workers in the UK feeling the strain of isolation, now is the time to ramp up trade union organizing, writes Eve Livingston.

"P&O don't rat on workers".

The globalized garment industry is as ruthless as they come, creaming off huge profits while paying workers a pittance. Trade unionist Anannya Bhattacharjee from the Asia Floor Wage Alliance is pressing the case for a living wage. She explains to Dinyar Godrej that the changes needed are surprisingly small – yet vehemently resisted.

Internationalists should pay attention to the way modern capitalism is increasingly dependent on transnational supply chains and migrant workers. Notes from Below explain why.

Enter the ‘new protectionism’ – and Trump’s trade wars.

The global free trade system is being battered like never before. Can any good come of it, asks Vanessa Baird in the first of an eight-article exploration?

Millennials have been condemned to a life of permanent adolescence. Despite the obsession with all things shiny and new, Yohann Koshy argues that young people are using old-fashioned ideas to chart a way forward.

East-African campaigners are warning Brexit may hit some Global South economies by harming their ability to export to Britain – a key market for some. Nick Dowson reports