Vic Turner speaks to the meeting

Ed Hall, a local artist who made the banner, told us what each element depicted. Tom Paine is shown on the right side of the banner clutching his influential book 'The Rights of Man' which he wrote while in Islington in 1791-92 as a reply to an attack on the French Revolution. Toward the back of the banner, are the demonstrators in Copenhagen Fields protesting for the freedom of the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were being banished to Australia for union activity in 1834. And further in revealing Islington's revolutionary background is Islington Town Hall with the red flag flying after they made Mayday a paid holiday across the borough in 1958. Front and centre are examples of the people from the community today - a construction worker, a social worker, a nurse and postal worker. On the far left Vic Turner, who was one of the Pentonville Five, is depicted, Vic Turner himself was at the meeting and got up to recount the significance of the events. The Pentonville Five, as they were called, refers to the five docker shop stewards who were arrested and imprisoned in Pentonville Prison in 1972 in the midst of a strike. Following their arrest, a rolling series of solidarity strikes began that caused work stoppages until there was virtually an unofficial general strike. The nation was nearly brought to a standstill, and the government of the day was forced into a corner. A demonstration was called to demand the release of the five shop stewards and thousands of striking workers marched through Islington and North London to Pentonville Prison and the five were released.

More fascinating revolutionary history was recounted by other speakers including Labour MP, Jeremy Corbyn who reminded us that Islington was once the home of Karl Marx. We learned that the original Islington Trades Council was formed almost 100 years ago. It arose from the struggle of the building workers in the fight for a reduction of working hours and against 'the document' which bosses forced workers to sign, stating that they were not part of a union, or be sacked or not hired in the first place.  During the coal miner's strike in 1984 Islington residents raised over £100 000 in solidarity collections in the struggle for jobs and against anti-trade union laws like sequestration (the confiscation of union property and assets if a union engages in strike action).

Other speakers included MP for Islington South and Finsbury, Emily Thornbury, who also referred to the fighting spirit of the area. She noted that the May Day march starts at Clarkenwell Green and that Bevin Court - originally called Lenin Court, was near where the Bolshevik leader V.I. Lenin had briefly lived and once hosted a memorial statue in honour of the man. She spoke about how Holloway Prison was where hunger-striking suffragettes were force-fed.

Labour councillors Katherine Green and Richard Watts were there on behalf of the council, and Katherine told the meeting about their efforts to direct the council to do more with important local issues like housing, poverty, care homes for the elderly and working conditions for all Islington residents.

The Deputy General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Frances O'Grady (who is a local resident) spoke to the meeting about how local trade union activity was an integral part of taking on the roots of exploitation. She told us about the TUC’s recent programme in defence of the most vulnerable workers in today's employment climate - immigrant workers and unorganized agency workers. She recounted stories of how Polish workers were promised jobs in posh hotels but had their passports taken away and were forced to work in meat packing plants. She pointed out that workers without a union almost always suffer the lowest wages and worst conditions. All agreed that the Islington Trades Union Council could play an important role in renewing local trade union awareness and community activism and help to inspire a new generation of Islington workers to join and participate! She remembered how the Islington Trades Union Council used to have regular meetings of 80 strong and wanted to see it happen again. Finally, the chair of the meeting, Gary Heather, reported to the meeting of about 40, that the Islington Trades Union Council, after having been rejuvenated for about one year, now has 20 affiliated trade union branches that have over 5,000 members. In the first year, the council has organized several meetings including support for the postal workers and a brave campaign against Academy Schools. Plans for the future are to work with the preservation society on getting historical plaques that celebrate the left wing traditions of the borough and to have many more meetings in order to get the new banner out into the community!