Union activity generates lots of paperwork - minutes of meetings, agitational leaflets, newsletters etc. Too often, these papers end up stored in the lofts of activist’s houses - only to be thrown out by their children or grandchildren who don’t realise their value. Hence the stories of unions and workplaces are lost to history.
Fortunately, this is not always the case. The key activists of the Liverpool Nalgo branch have created a blog (https://www.insideliverpoollabourhistory.com/) which is a treasure trove of documents relating to workplace and political struggles during the Thatcher years (1979 onwards.)
These were turbulent times in Liverpool with mass activity and union organisation on a scale rarely seen before or since. The site is divided into sections covering the council joint Shop Stewards Committee and different struggles Nalgo led such as the Liverpool Typists Strike, and the Social Workers Strike. Both lengthy disputes that receive scant coverage.
However, the largest section concerns the fight against council cuts and redundancies from the time of the Lib Dems to Derick Hatton. Copies of most of the branch newsletters covering this period provide a running commentary on the political events in the city, from the point of view of council staff and their unions.
The material on the blog is valuable to historians looking at this period or to anyone who wants to get a flavour of what was happening in Liverpool at that time.
Please note: Google search engine does not ‘recognise’ the blog address. To access the site, you need to click on the above link, or copy and paste, or type www.insideliverpoollabourhistory.com into the address bar of your web browser.