Send A Christmas Card to IKEA about Unions

IKEA is stopping American trade unions from speaking to its US work force and refusing to discuss a collective agreement.  The local union is asking shoppers to help workers and send the CEO a suitable Christmas Card!

Check out the "DIY Guide to Management" here and send off an electronic version.

(this is a clever union campaign - I have not seen anything quite like it this side of the pond?)

Hat-tip thingy Labourstart

Cradley Women Chainmakers' Festival

From this week's TUC UNIONREP's e-newsletter "The festival to be held on 18 September commemorates the 100th anniversary of the fight of the Cradley Heath Women Chainmakers, who in 1910 went on strike for 10 weeks and were successful in winning the first ever minimum wage. The TUC-organised event will celebrate the importance of Trade Union History and women at work.

The event will be held at the Black Country Living Museum, Tipton Road, Dudley, West Midlands DY1 4SQ. Speakers include TUC Deputy general Secretary Frances O'Grady and Tony Benn".

Check out the Wolvestuc website for further details.

Jimmy Reid: 'We don't only build ships. We build men'

I'm pretty sure that (nearly) all of us will forgive trade union leader, Jimmy Reid, who died this week aged 78, for the implicit sexism of the above wonderful comment.

I was hobbling along (dodgy Achilles heal) Wanstead flats on Thursday morning listening via headphones to "Today" on Radio 4 and was simply bowled over by this marvellous clip (only 3 minutes) of an interview with Jimmy from 2007.

Enjoy on playback here (not sure how long it will be available?).

Hat tip picture and a surprisingly interesting and even sympathetic story on Jimmy from the Torygraph.