THERE is a tendency in the labour movement to think that industrial action is a thing of the past, something which happened long ago during fabled eras with evocative names such as the “Winter of Discontent.”

But since our Launch in December 2020 Strike Map has mapped over 40 strikes in the United Kingdom, with trade union reps submitting their actions and grassroots trade unionists sending in their stories direct from the picket line. 

One of the original aims of Strike Map UK was to raise awareness of the numerous strike actions which are taking place all the time and although they do not happen at the scale they once did, worker militancy is still very much a thing across the world. 

In Boston, Massachusetts, for example, over 800 nurses are united in a campaign of industrial action over unsafe staff-to-patient ratios — workers are taking action against a hospital part of a group that has made $414 million (£299m) profits in the final quarter of 2020. 

This amazing battle is one of many ongoing disputes in the United States, and has gained huge community and political support. 

Closer to home, Britain is also poised for industrial unrest across the health sector.

Whereas the Scottish government has made it clear that a pay rise of 4 per cent will be offered to NHS workers, the Westminster government holds its line of a measly, insulting 1 per cent supplemented, of course, with accolades of being heroes or claps on the doorstep.

Our trade unions are united in their condemnation of this treatment and the Royal College of Nurses has reportedly put together a £37m war chest in the event of industrial action. 

These positions within the unions have been built by, agitated for and are the product of the incredible rank-and-file campaigns led by healthcare workers themselves.

As strike action grips Boston, and unions across Britain gear up for the fight of a generation, this is a perfect time to bring together healthcare workers globally, to reflect on the organising work that has happened — sharing ideas and practice — not just for healthcare workers, but for all as we get ready to oppose Austerity 2.0.

That is why tomorrow, Wednesday night, Strike Map UK are hosting a very special online event bringing these two powerful campaigns together to inspire and energise workers around the world. 

One such rank-and-file organiser with NHS Workers Say No campaign group, Holly Turner, will be on the show discussing why she is taking part.

She says: “Our grassroots NHS Workers Say No campaign group was created in the summer of 2020, and born at a time when we were feeling incredibly exhausted and demoralised.

“The government announced a public-sector pay increase which excluded NHS workers, and in a state of disbelief and anger we decided to take action.

“Our primary aim was to mobilise and organise workers to fight for what we are owed, while building power within our unions by encouraging increased engagement. We agreed that our pay demand would be 15 per cent, and the #NHSPay15 movement was born.

“Doing this alongside full-time front-line clinical jobs in the midst of a global pandemic has been a challenge, but we’ve had some incredible achievements along the way.

“We have a network of organisers all over the UK who continue to inspire every day with their dedication in fighting for pay justice, so that we can keep our patients safe and protect the future of our NHS.

“We have all watched and felt incredibly inspired by the industrial action taken by the Massachusetts Nursing Association — these healthcare workers have been working in conditions which are unsafe for both themselves and their patients and they have refused to accept that any longer.

“It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity to chat to Dominique Muldoon from the Massachusetts Nurses Association about her experiences and those of  her colleagues, and to hear about the path they have taken to find themselves having such an overwhelming vote to strike.

“It will be interesting to hear how they have managed to engage such a high percentage of their colleagues, especially during a pandemic. 

“Public support always feels so precious to healthcare workers too, so it will be great to hear how their communities have responded to such a large walkout of healthcare workers, along with other ways they may have engaged the public in supporting their fight for workplace safety.”

As workers around the country — as shown by Strike Map — increasingly take on hostile employers using the tactic of strike action, we hope our latest episode of comrades will interest all involved in the labour movement.

We are clear that working people, those that have kept this country going and have ensured that we come out the other side of this pandemic, do not have to pay for the Covid crisis.

We face shared global threats with our brothers and sisters around the world, beginning a network internationally of those involved in struggles can help us get more organised in the fight against capital.

At Strike Map our aim is to build a stewards’ and reps’ movement across Britain and to learn from all struggles around the world to inform and inspire our own approaches. 

We hope you will join us Wednesday night here via Strike Map UK on Facebook. You do not have to have a Facebook account to view this meeting.

Help us build our worker powered movement, we have a world to win. 

Henry Fowler and Robert Poole are the co-founders of Strike Map UK.

With thanks to Holly Turner — NHS nurse GMB union rep and George Binette, trade union activist.