Happy International Workers Day

“They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn?

But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn?

We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn?

That the union makes us strong”

Pete Seegar

I need to start this with context.?

As I've written about before, my influences and career choices have been inspired by my upbringing, my lived experience of disability, the city I grew up in, and the influence of my family and friends.

My world view was forged in my youth, my dad - who comes from Spain - is an anarchist in the Spanish tradition, my mum a passionate and active trade unionist, and my home city of Southampton a militant dock town where unions fought for what was right for their members.

This influence has shaped a massive part of my thinking, an understanding that what's just and right is how you treat those with the least, and how solidarity is the basis of community and society.

Our world of work has changed in recent years, and it changed mostly for the better for people, more freedom, more flexibility, working from home benefiting people who couldn’t afford to move to expensive cities and providing job access and opportunities for people with disabilities.

Yet we are starting to see a pushback to that, a move away from the good grace and humanity we developed in lockdown and covid, towards an effort to pull back those rights won in favour of profit at all costs.

This pushback comes from the insecurities we feel due to a cost of living crisis and the power shift away from workers to shareholders, the old tool of fear being used to keep us in check.

We as workers need to fight back against the need to justify positive changes to our working conditions by means of ROI.?

We see a lot of talk of purpose in advertising and digital, but purpose seems to me to be capital’s exploitation of those that need to be exploited the least.?

For example the “pink” or “purple” pound are movements that don’t look to help, advance or rectify the issues for ethical and human reasons alone.?

Instead they exist to exploit, their aim? To profit from a situation where people are excluded, and the result is that they are fleeting responses that can turn in the wind like fashion.

True inclusion and accessibility on the other hand comes from a different road, the shoulders it stands on aren’t cultural appropriation for means of profit, they are instead the fundamental battles for the betterment of people’s lives.

The work comes as much from the disability activists that fought for equality, the women’s rights movements who demanded a voice, the LGBT+ community for whom Pride was a riot, not a party. And the trade unions that fought for our right to better working conditions.

We should push forward with progressive and real change that supports those that need it the most, to challenge bias in systems that are being brought in too early - such as AI - and to center ourselves in what matters most, access; equality; flexibility; stability.

These things may feel scary, too big for us to tackle alone. Too far gone to challenge.

And the pushback is profit at all costs.

But we have a tool to respond. That tool is solidarity. Because together we can show that there is no value in business that isn’t created by those doing the work.

In a world where we cut staff to pay shareholders, cut budgets for inclusion or accessibility to hit profit, actively choose to exclude people from jobs by forcing people to an office our only tool to fight back is our solidarity.

So I urge you all to do one positive thing if nothing else today, and that is to join a trade union. Because they exist to help us all. Regardless of your job title or level, Unions make us stronger, better and more equal.

Joining a union may feel scary, you may be scared how your employer will react, but don’t forget that legally your workplace cannot punish you for joining one or organising the workplace:

Your employer must not treat you unfavourably (for example refusing you promotion or training opportunities) if you:?

• join a union?
• take part in its meetings?
• leave a union

https://www.gov.uk/join-trade-union/trade-union-membership-your-employment-rights?

Tech workers union - https://utaw.tech/about/

Communication workers union - https://www.cwu.org/

Creative communications workers union - https://www.creativecommsunion.uk/