Suggested lesson activities for a Grunwick 40th anniversary session

Summary:

The Grunwick strike took place in Dollis Hill between 1976 and 1978. The strike, at Grunwick Film Processing Laboratory in Willesden, had small beginnings, but quickly grew in size and significance. Led by Jayaben Desai, a group of Asian workers walked out in protest against poor treatment. They asked to join a union to help them fight for better rights, but Grunwick refused. 100 other workers joined this dispute, which lasted for two years, attracted the support of thousands across the country and was debated in Parliament.

Grunwick bought people of different races and backgrounds together in support of the rights of migrant women workers, shattered stereotypes about Asian women and changed the face of trade unionism. It was a hugely significant event in the history of Brent and working people, and is a great local study to explore during Black History Month.

Further information on the strike is available from

Key stage suitability:KS 3/4

Resources required: A screen and internet connection (or downloaded file) to watch the short film

Outcomes:Through participation in this session, students will:

  • Learn about and be able to describe the events of the Grunwick Strike
  • Learn about the social and political context of the late 1970s
  • Be able to consider the challenges faced by migrantswith reference to their local area
  • Be able to describe the impacts of the Grunwick Strike, specifically as they relate to the experiences of migrant workers in the UK

Session Content:

Introduction – what was the Grunwick Strike? (3min):Introduce the Grunwick Strike by reading out the following paragraphs.

The majority of Grunwick workers were Indians of mainly Gujarati origin who had felt obliged to leave East Africa after the British had withdrawn. As British citizens they were entitled to settle in the UK, so many decided to migrate here to begin a new life. Once here, despite their educated backgrounds and professional experience, they were forced to accept low-paid factory or office work.

Grunwick, like many other firms, took advantage of this. The management favoured employing female immigrants, correctly calculating that such women had little choice but to put up with low wages. A Grunwick striker explained: "Imagine how humiliating it was for us, particularly for older women, to be working and to overhear the employer saying to a younger, English girl 'you don't want to come and work here, love, we won't be able to pay the sort of wages that'll keep you here' – while we had to work there because we were trapped."

Show the ‘Hidden Herstories’ film (up to 17min): This explains more about the history of the strike.You may like to show the film in its entirety or choose a short portion to allow more time for later activities.Hidden Herstories:

The Grunwick strike itself was not successful in achieving the workers the right to organise a trade union. However, it was the first time that the mostly white and male trade union movement had given outright support to ethnic minority women workers.

Why is the Grunwick Strike relevant today (and to Black History Month) (10-20min):Either as a whole class or in smaller groups, discuss one or more of the following:

  • Discuss the background of migrant workers employed at Grunwick and suggest reasons why these migrants and their families found it difficult to find suitable employment. (If in groups, each group could aim to write down 3-5 suggested reasons. These might include racism, sexism, language barriers, the economic context of the 1970s etc). Extend this discussion by:
  • Exploring the ways in which London appeared unwelcoming to migrants in the 1970s.
  • Discussing whether the situation changed - Are migrant workers welcomed in London and Britain today?
  • Discussing whether Black and Asian workers have more rights at work today - What impact might Grunwick have had on this?
  • Do you think the Grunwick strike made a difference to race relations in England? How/why not? (If in groups, each group could aim to write down 3-5 ways in which Grunwick impacted on race relations. These could include the impact it had on white workers’ rights, the impact of bringing Asian and white workers into closer proximity, how it showed the unfair working conditions faced by migrant workers etc). Extend this discussion by:
  • Considering if the Grunwick strikers aimed to fight racial stereotypes
  • Discussing what other prejudices the Grunwick Strike combatted?
  • Debating if we still live in a racist society - What reasons do you have for your answer?

Some questions taken from

Suggested Activities – (20-30 min):Choose one of the following to run as a class activity

  1. Explore the ways in which the media portrayed the strike.Divide your students into small groups, and provide each group with a selection of the attached newspaper articles about Grunwick.Ask each group to discuss how their articles describe the main actors in the strike.
  2. What are the attitudes of the reporters to the strikers – can you identify any cultural, racial or gender stereotypes shaping these attitudes?
  3. Overall, are the articles positive or negative in their descriptions of: the police, the strikers, others supporting the strike, MPs on the picket lines? What words make you think this?

Ask each student to imagine they are a striker, writing a short letter of complaint to the paper about how they were described - what would they say?

  1. Create a picket line. Ask students to work individually.Ask students to imagine being at one of the Grunwick pickets, protesting against the management of the factory. You could show them some images of the strike, available at Ask them to design a banner or placard explaining their reasons for supporting the strike or giving a message to the management.
  2. Write about the strike. Ask students to work individually. Distribute some of the attached newspaper clippings, or provide students with access to and encourage them to read more about the strike.Ask students to write a news story about the Grunwick strike, including quotations from different people involved. These could include a striker, a policeman, the management of the factory, someone else working at the factory who has chosen not to go on strike, someone living in the local area or someone supporting the strike. They could try to present a balanced view of the strike or choose a specific viewpoint and use the quotations and descriptions to support this view.
  3. Hold a class debate or role play.Divide your students into groups, and hand out the attached newspaper clippings or provide students with access to and encourage them to read more about the strike.Allocate each group an identity as a striker, policeman, non-striking worker, local resident, Grunwick management, journalist, strike supporter etc. Ask each group to read materials relevant to their own character, and then bring the class back together for a debate. Propose a debate subject – for example:
  4. ‘Media representations of the Grunwick strikers are fair’,
  5. ‘Policing of the Grunwick strike was too violent’ or
  6. ‘This house supports the Grunwick strike’.

It is up to you if you would like to split representatives of each identity evenly onto each side of the debate, and give each side an equal amount of time to make their case, or simply ask a representative of each identity to take it in turns to make a point to another group and discuss the issues.

Homework suggestion:You can use the quiz attached to this lesson plan as a homework activity. The quiz contains 18 questions which can be answered with reference to the Grunwick travelling exhibition (this is available to display in your school by emailing ), and by visiting the Grunwick 40 Exhibition inBrent Museum and Archives at The Library at Willesden Green. Answers to all of these questions can be found through online research if your students do not have access to either exhibition. The final 2 questions require students to provide their own responses to the issues.

Possible development activities:

  • Provide students with more time to research a specific element of the strike and hold an open debate on one of the questions proposed in activity D
  • Watch one of the feature length Grunwick Films (these include ‘The Great Grunwick Strike, 2007, and Year of the Beaver, 1985)
  • Go to the exhibition as a class(contact Brent Museum and Archives at if you would be interested in support from a learning officer)
  • Carry out an in depth study into the events of Grunwick as a piece of local history (contact Brent Museum and Archives at if you would like to use the archive search room to explore the subject further)
  • From 2017: Visit the former site of the factory in Chapter Road and explore the two murals (email if you would like more information about this or are interested in a talk from our artist)