I went on strike with my trade union
We know that union organisers have suffered State surveillance for decades.
What we didn’t realise until recently was that undercover police officers, like ‘Carlo Neri‘, had been sent in to spy on trade unionists. They often used the same strategy, of deceiving women into intimate (and long-lasting) relationships, to gain other activists’ trust.
What is even more shocking is that the police often passed information about trade unionists on to their employers and to organisations like the Consulting Association, which often resulted in (illegal) life-long blacklisting from their trades.
We all have a legal right to join a trade union, and to be active in that union, and not lose our jobs as a result. I’ve joined the union in every proper job I’ve ever had. I think it’s important to improve our working conditions and safety, and protect our employment rights.
My union comrades were hard-working, dedicated people, doing their best to help others.
They did not deserve to be spied on.
We all have a right to campaign for change without fear of State abuse.
Two excellent introductions to the blacklisting scandal:
I went on strike with my trade union.
