Catalogue Number
NMLH.2001.12
Object Name
Poster
Title
Defend Workers' Right To Organize. Support Grunwick Strikers. Out Since 1976...
Place
Willesden & London & England & UK
People
Dessai, Jayaben: Grunwick strike committee; women; workers: print workers
Events
Dispute & Grunwick
Date
1977
Creator(s)Poster Collective (designers)
Description
Between 2000 and 3000 of these hand-printed posters were produced by the Poster Collective for the Grunwick Strike Committee campaign. The poster was silk-screen printed by hand.
Grunwick was a film and photograph processing laboratory in Northwest London. Six immigrant workers started the Grunwick strike in August 1976. They were prompted by low pay, compulsory overtime and harsh management. Grunwick workers, the majority of whom were Indian women migrants, were being paid just £28 a week at the time, compared to a national industrial average of £76.
The strike gained huge public support and thousands of trade unionists joined the picket line. Despite this the strikers were unable to negotiate better working terms and conditions and the strike had to be abandoned in July 1978.
The Poster Collective existed from 1974 until 1984, and was one of the biggest political poster producers in Europe during that time.
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