Industrial Workers of the world iww.org.uk

For many decades, the trade unions have worked hand in hand with employers to quell rank and file militancy. Their overriding concern has been industrial harmony not social justice, and so they fail to question the most basic assumptions of the way our society is organised. The objective of many unions has been to keep British companies profitable with union consent as a means of maintaining employment.

With the lengthening of working hours, the removal of job security, an increase in work related illnesses and injuries, yes we do still need unions. Corporate culture is creating a world where we live to work rather than work to live. Bullying and harassment, health and safety, job security, wages and hours, these are all areas where standards have generally declined for workers in recent years.

Yes. Many IWW members are also members of other unions. They are women and men who form the fighting heart of such unions; rank and filers who strive to make their unions yield returns for the membership.

That depends on you. The IWW does not provide an all knowing leadership or hefty treasury to fight your battles for you. But if you're willing to organise where you work by talking with your colleagues about the issues that matter to them, then you can count on the IWW members to lend their full support to your struggle.

Individuals can do little by themselves and are likely to be sacked if they raise a lone voice in protest, but by joining together in a union such as the IWW, workers are far more powerful when confronting the boss about any workplace problem.

Every worker is an industrial worker, whether the industry they work in be steel, health care, tourism, education or finance. If you earn your living by working with your hands or brain, then you're welcome to join us. The IWW is a trans-national union with members in many countries. It is independent of all political parties and seeks to organise all workers into a single strong union.