As part of the Manchester Histories Festival, the pamphlet Dare to Be Free: Women in Trade Unions, Past and Present is being launched next Saturday, 4th June at the Three Minute Theatre, in Afflecks Arcade, Manchester.
The 42 page pamphlet begins with a biography of Mary Quaile, written by top local historian, Michael Herbert. It tells the story of how the Irish migrant to Manchester rose from working as a waitress, to fame as one of the most active women trade unionists in Britain. She organised women workers through the Manchester and Salford Women's Trades Council, and later as a national officer in the TGWU.
In 1925 she led a TUC delegation of British women trade unionists to the Soviet Union to see the new society for themselves, while, in 1926, she was on the General Council of the TUC during the General Strike. For fifty years Mary never wavered from her belief that trade unions were the key to women achieving proper pay and decent working conditions.
In the second part, Bernadette Hyland interviews ten modern women from different unions about how and why they became active in the trade union movement. Working in both the public and private sector, and of different ages, they are united in their belief that trade unionism can make a real difference to the lives of working women and men.
The women Bernadette interviews are Jane Stewart (UNITE), Annette Wright (PCS, Manchester Trades Union Council), Bernie Gallagher (UNISON), Rachel Broady (NUJ), Linda Mercer (GMB), Lorna Tooley (RMT), Sarah Woolley (BFAWU), Beccie Ions (GMB), Nilufer Erdem (UNITE) and Jade Clarke (BFAWU).
"I'm active because I believe that working class people, within unions, are the main power for political change and when organised, we can apply immense pressure on our political leaders to create a fairer, more prosperous society with less inequality" says Jade Clarke in the pamphlet "I would like to see the wealth begin to move from the ruling class into the other 90%!"
The launch of the Dare To Be Free pamphlet at 2pm is followed by Dare To Be Free, the play, at 3:30pm, which blends the life of Mary Quayle with current struggles within the fast food industry for decent pay and conditions – with added songs, music and humour.
The play, first performed at this year's May Day Festival, and supported by the likes of Christopher Eccleston and Maxine Peake, the Manchester and Salford NUJ and the Professional Footballers Association, will have its final performance after a mini North West tour.
Dare To Be Free pamphlet launch 2pm and play 3:30pm
Saturday 4th June
Three Minute Theatre, Afflecks Arcade
35 Oldham Street M1 1JG.
Admission to the launch and play is free, and there will be copies of the pamphlet on sale at £3.95 on the day.
Copies can also be bought online via the News From Nowhere website - click here
Dare to Be Free: Women in Trade Unions, Past and Present is published by the Mary Quaile Club (£3.95)
For more details see previous Salford Star articles – click here and click here
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