The Grunwick industrial action

In the late 1970s, an industrial dispute in London had a lasting impact on labour relations in the UK. The Grunwick dispute focused on a film processing laboratory in Willesden and its mostly Asian and female workforce.

In the summer of 1976 - the hottest summer on record thus far - a strike began when, on Friday 20 August, Grunswick dismissed Devshi Bhudia for working too slowly. Three colleagues, Chandrakant Patel, Bharat Patel and Suresh Ruparelia, walked out in support of him. Later that day, Jayaben Desai put on her coat to leave and was dismissed for doing so. By the following Monday, that small group of people began picketing the premises and were joined by other colleagues.

The strike quickly spread and by the end of the year, more than 200 workers were involved.

The workers at Grunwick were predominantly women and mostly of East African Asian origin. The company frequently employed people who had just moved to London and were unlikely to be aware of their rights.

They were protesting against poor working conditions and low pay at the company. The average wage at the company was significantly below the national average, and overtime was compulsory. Many of the workers were not members of trade unions, which nonetheless were not recognised by their employers. This lack of union recognition and refusal to negotiation led to the strike becoming more widespread.

The strike gained media attention and became a major cause celebre in the UK, with thousands of people demonstrating in support of the workers. Jayaben Desai became a well-known figurehead of the protests. She was a confident and inspiring speaker, highlighting the racist and sexist comments aimed at her and at the other striking workers.

The workers were supported by a number of trade unions, including the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX), which organised a series of strikes and boycotts in support of the Grunwick workers.

The dispute became increasingly bitter and confrontational, particularly during the summer of 1977, with picket lines being set up outside the Grunwick plant and violent clashes between the police and striking workers. More than 500 people were arrested.

The company's refusal to negotiate with the workers or their representatives led to the strike dragging on for almost two years. Various legal actions and government interventions took place, with a government inquiry report recommending that the mass picketing be wound down and that Grunwick should recognise a trade union.

With Conservative and right-wing politicians giving their support to the Grunswick employers, by the end of 1977, the trade unions believed the dispute could not be won, and withdrew their support. Jayaben Desai and a number of strikers disputed this and mounted a hunger strike outside the TUC headquarters in November 1977.

The strike was effectively over by early 1978, but it was only officially called off in July 1978. None of the workers' demands had been met.

Although the strike had not been successful, today, Grunwick is remembered for how thousands of workers, men and women from all races, united to defend the rights of migrant women workers. In the 1970s, trade unions were all led by white men: women workers as well as non-white workers often found it very hard to win support from their unions.

'We have shown', Jayaben Desai said, 'that workers like us, new to these shores, will never accept being treated without dignity or respect.'