Printworkers as pioneers

A panel jointly organised by the Marx Memorial Library & Workers' School and Unite GPMITC Sector in celebration of the MML's Printworkers' Collection.The inaugural annual lecture in celebration of our Printworkers' Collection, in partnership with Unite GPMITC Sector. MML is currently carrying out a two-year project to catalogue and make available this incredible collection of material documenting the history of printworkers' struggle and union organising. With archive material donated by Unite and the personal papers of activists in printworking, this collection provides a history of nearly 200 years of workers organising in the print, paper and publishing industry, in addition to some key disputes.This panel will examine printworkers as pioneers in the development of collective rights and bargaining, and the importance of ensuring that heritage is preserved for future generations. Ann Field will look at the history of printworkers organising and highlight key moments in the fight for collective agreements to improve pay and conditions by them. Matt Dunne will introduce the printworkers collections and discuss the importance of maintaining that history so that crucial stories of labour movement history are not lost or forgotten. Matt Whaley will finish by looking at current organising and bargaining in the growing IT and digital technology companies within the sector today.Speakers:Matt Whaley is a Unite regional officer with responsibilities for the GPM&IT Sector.Ann Field was a national officer of Unite/GPMU and represented print and publishing workers from 1974 until 2009. She is joint creator of the Wapping exhibition and archive at MML. Matt Dunne is the archivist at MML and is carrying out a two-year cataloguing project on the library’s Printworkers' Collection. Chaired by Tony Burke, former assistant general secretary of Unite and former deputy general secretary of GPMU, and currently co-chair of the Campaign for Trade Union Freedom.