In 2023, the world witnessed the rise of numerous global labour
uprisings. Whether it was the unionisation wave of Starbucks workers
in America, or the postal workers in England, the working class-after
being treated incredibly poorly during the COVID-19 pandemic-has
begun to stand up in record numbers against the exploitive practices
of bosses and capitalists. The Irish working class was no exception.
In this new series
of Iskra chapbooks, we present writings old and new with a focus on
the dynamic labor conditions of Ireland. In our inaugural volume, we
showcase writings from Iceland Foods grocery workers, who have
recently organised themselves, taken strike action, and occupied
stores for unpaid wages. In addition to this essay from Iceland
workers in the Independent Workers' Union, we have also included two
relevant pieces written by the Irish trade union leader (among his
many other titles), James Connolly.
Even though it has
been over 100 years since Connolly wrote about labor conditions in
Dublin, there remains a timelessness to his work in the sense that
not much, in fact, has changed. Workers continue to endure
cost-of-living crises, housing crises, and labour crises.
Without the
replacement of capitalism by socialism, without the widescale
organisation of laborers and trade unionists, these crises will
continue to repeat themselves ad nauseam to the detriment of all
working class peoples.
It is our hope that
Let Us Rise will elevate the voices and struggles of those
presently engaged in labor actions across Ireland, demonstrating the
link and the necessary connection between struggles old and new.
