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Strikers in saris

In 1976 South Asian women workers led a strike against poor working conditions in a British factory. They picketed the Grunwick factory in north London for two years.

In 1976 South Asian women workers who had made Britain their home, led a strike against poor working conditions in a British factory. Lakshmi Patel was one of the women who picketed the Grunwick film-processing factory in north London for two years, defying the stereotype of submissive South Asian women. They gained the support of tens of thousands of trade unionists along the way. Lakshmi talks to Farhana Haider about how the strike was a defining moment for race relations in the UK in the 1970s.

(Photo: Jayaben Desai, leader of the Grunwick strike committee holding placard 1977 Credit: Getty images)

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9 minutes

Last on

Wed 4 Mar 2020 13:50GMT

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  • Wed 4 Mar 2020 08:50GMT
  • Wed 4 Mar 2020 13:50GMT

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