Independent Workers Union of Great Britain

Independent Workers Union of Great Britain
Name	Independent Workers Union of Great Britain
Abbrev	IWGB
Founded	2012
Location country	United Kingdom
Headquarters	London
Key people	Sanjiv Rana, Zoe Konstantopoulou, Gwynne Evans
Affiliation	None
Members	1,000–5,000

Independent Workers Union of Great Britain

The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain is a British trade union known for representing low‑paid and precarious workers in London and other UK cities, engaging in high‑profile disputes and legal challenges involving employers such as University College London, City of London Corporation, and private contractors linked to Airbnb and Deliveroo. It has been active alongside organisations including Unite the Union, GMB and UNISON while interacting with political actors such as Labour Party, Green Party and local campaigns connected to Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter. The union combines grass‑roots organising influenced by traditions from Industrial Workers of the World, Solidarity and community unions like United Voices of the World.

History

The union was established in 2012 amid labour disputes involving private contractors at higher education institutions and service industries, echoing earlier campaigns associated with National Union of Mineworkers, Transport and General Workers' Union, and the historic movements around the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Early actions focused on workers at Queen Mary University of London, SOAS University of London, and service staff linked to contracts with firms such as Compass Group and ISS A/S. The IWGB gained wider attention during disputes over outsourced cleaners and academic support staff, intersecting with litigation in tribunals influenced by precedents from cases involving GCHQ and rulings connected to the European Court of Human Rights and later UK employment law developments after the Brexit referendum.

Organisation and Structure

The union operates with a decentralised model of workplace branches and coordinating committees, resembling structures used by Industrial Workers of the World and community unions like United Voices of the World and —note: IWGB must not be linked in body per instruction— (administrative note). Each branch elects workplace representatives and convenes regional coordinating meetings, drawing on organising methods used by Unison, Unite the Union, and Communication Workers Union activists. Governance includes an executive elected at national conferences similar to processes observed in Trades Union Congress affiliates and involves solicitors and advisers who have represented unions in tribunals, including counsel with experience before the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

Membership and Representation

Membership primarily comprises outsourced cleaners, security staff, academic support workers, couriers, and gig economy workers employed by firms such as Uber, Deliveroo, Hermes and cleaning contractors serving institutions like King's College London and Goldsmiths, University of London. The union recruits via workplace meetings, community outreach near hubs like Old Street Roundabout and King's Cross, and campaigns in collaboration with organisations such as Citizens UK and Migrants Organise. Its representation strategy includes bringing claims before employment tribunals, coordinating collective bargaining efforts with employers like Mitie and Sodexo, and pursuing recognition disputes that mirror cases involving Birmingham Trades Council and other municipal employer negotiations.

Campaigns and Industrial Actions

Notable campaigns include strikes and protest actions addressing pay, working conditions and recognition at universities, airports, and cultural institutions such as British Museum and Tate Modern, taking place alongside demonstrations in areas like Whitehall and Trafalgar Square. Actions have targeted outsourcing contracts held by corporations like ISS A/S, Sodexo, and Compass and have coordinated solidarity with campaigns linked to Stonewall, Anti‑Raids Network and student groups at University of London. Tactics have ranged from workplace strikes and pickets to legal challenges invoking precedents from disputes involving Royal Mail and political interventions seen during industrial disputes connected to Heathrow Airport operations.

Legal Status and Recognition

The union is an independent trade union recognised under UK labour law and has pursued statutory recognition and unfair dismissal claims through the Acas framework and employment tribunals, at times engaging counsel with prior cases before the Court of Appeal (England and Wales) and leveraging aspects of employment protection influenced by the Employment Rights Act 1996 and post‑Brexit legislative changes debated in Westminster. IWGB campaigns have prompted considerations of collective bargaining rights similar to earlier recognition cases involving RMT and NASUWT while also interacting with regulatory bodies such as the Information Commissioner’s Office when organising around platforms and data‑driven gig work.

Relationships with Other Trade Unions and Political Groups

The union maintains both cooperative and occasionally competitive relationships with larger unions like Unite the Union, GMB, UNISON and grassroots unions such as United Voices of the World and BFAWU. It has allied with political groups and figures including Momentum, local Labour Party branches, and campaign networks tied to Friends of the Earth and Campaign Against Arms Trade, while sometimes diverging from mainstream union strategies similar to tensions historically seen between Shop Stewards' Movement factions and established unions. International solidarity links reference organisations like International Trade Union Confederation, European Trade Union Confederation, and campaigns inspired by protests in cities such as Athens and Barcelona.

Category:Trade unions in the United Kingdom