In August 1976, workers at the Grunwick Film Processing Factories in the London Borough of Brent went on strike due to unfair working conditions. A month later, on the 1st of October 1976, 400 people marched from Cobbold Road to Chapter Road in support of the Grunwick Strike. This mass act of solidarity signalled that the strike was beginning to become a monumental movement in Trade Union and Labour History. The picketing was so significant that by the end of October 1976, the police attempted to limit the picketers to only six at the factory gates.
Join our Special Collections team online as we take a deep dive into the Grunwick Strike archival material held in the Trades Union Congress Library Collections at London Metropolitan University.
The team will each present ONE selected item from the collections and explain their reasons for choosing it. Materials include photographs, posters, press cuttings, and strike bulletins that tell the stories of picketing, police violence, and community solidarity. These primary sources show the united strength of the South Asian and Black workforce, and what it meant to walk out of your job and stand up for your rights in such a visible and dangerous way.
The Grunwick Strike: Solidarity in the Archives
Thursday, 1 October 2026, 1300-1400
Online
See more and register here
