The Striking Women exhibition tells the story of the fierce fight for workers' rights at this exhibition exploring the history of industrial action led by South Asian women in the UK - from the pivotal Grunwick strike of 1976 to the Gate Gourmet dispute in 2005.
It draws upon archival sources and interviews with the brave women at Grunwick and Gate Gourmet factories who fought for workers’ rights. Their struggles are very relevant today, when workers face new forms of exploitation and insecure work in the gig economy and through the widespread use of zero-hours contracts. In a context where migrant workers are often - wrongly - perceived as a threat to the rights of British workers, and migrants and refugees are being threatened in an increasingly hostile environment, Grunwick and Gate Gourmet also reminds us of how migrant workers have fought to improve the rights of all workers in the UK.
Accompanying this is a comic, Striking Women, which tells the story of three such workers. Teaching resources from this research are available for schools and community organisations on the Striking Women website (www.striking-women.org).
Striking Women: South Asians Workers' struggles in the UK labour market
Monday 27 October - Sunday 2 November 2025, 8.00am-8.00pm daily (except Sunday 2nd November, 10.00am to 5.00pm)
Winter Gardens, Surrey Street, Sheffield S1 2LH
A play based on the Grunwick strike, We Are The Lions Mr Manager, is touring the country, starting with the Lantern theatre Sheffield next week: 14 –18 October. On the 14th and 15th October it will be followed by a Q&A session with Professor Sundari Anitha.