Banner shows Liverpool-born Irish union legend Delia Larkin, with brother James on the reverse
Liverpool’s Unite Community CASA branch – based in Liverpool’s famous CASA socialist dockers’ club – unveiled its new banner last weekend, and it commemorates a woman legend of the union movement who was born in the city.
Delia Larkin (1878-1949) went from Liverpool to Dublin, where she founded the Irish Women Workers Union and featured prominently in the Dublin Lockout dispute to unionise and organise thousands of low-paid workers against exploitative employers, taking effective charge of the dispute when her brother James Larkin returned to England to raise support and playing a key role in ensuring that workers and their families were fed throughout the struggle.
The reverse of the banner features her brother and fellow union legend James, a Liverpool docker and founder of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union:
The new banner was unfurled to speeches highlighting the importance of women in the union movement and of international solidarity and organising, especially in days when the Labour party has abandoned its role in the labour movement.
Liverpool artist David Jacques, the banner’s creator, told Skwawkbox that the design was based on that of historic union banners but in an intentionally uncluttered form.
Unite Community is the union’s section for those not in paid employment. Members and officers fear for its future under general secretary Sharon Graham’s ‘workplace’ focus and because the section is not influenced by her cadre of paid organisers. Attempts by Community branches to show or support ‘Oh Jeremy Corbyn/The Big Lie’, the documentary exposing the racism, rigging, smears and abuse of the Labour party right have been blocked by the Unite management.
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this latest one can kiss my socialist red ass!.
That look of pure joy and hope on banner-creator David Jacques’ face is wonderful. Thanks for a reminder of how our wonderful Labour movement managed to make hope and prosperity available to our forebears. Liverpool’s Unite Community CASA branch persuades me that bottom-up trade unions can again.
Any relation to the great Martin, destroyer of a once broad church party?
If Delia or her brother James Larkin were alive today they’d both be kicked out of Starmers Labour for “antisemitism”. As it is they must be turning in their graves to see the cess pit for right wing careerists that the Labour party and Unite have become.
To be kicked out of today’s Labour Party has become a badge to be worn with pride.
So who will come out for JC and JD
Why is JC not running for London Mayor
The question of whether he will run at all remains unanswered.
Herr Flick
R3d Tories, clever fuckers have just created another JC
Jamie Driscoll said he would stand as an Independent if he could raise £25k by end of August
He did it in 2 hours
Doug – ……and the question of whether Jeremy will stand at the next GE?
I take it that David is Brian Jacques’ lad? Has to be with a creative talent like that.
I used to buzz off Brian’s radio show on Radio Merseyside on a Sunday morning. (The folky theme tune was dead catchy).
Brian himself was a docker IIRC – or he might have been in the ‘merch’ One or t’other anyway.
He (Brian) was a massively successful children’s author with his Redwall book series, which became a huge hit (especially in the US) when made into a cartoon.
And one of the very few (successful) sons of the city to have stayed here.
Anyways, I doff my proverbial cap to David for the banner. – great stuff!! Let’s hope that the unite bigwigs get the message.
Unfortunately, it’s doubtful they will.