The history of democracy in Britain is intimately tied to the workers’ movement. It is impossible to understand how it went from a pastime for the propertied few to a mass civic endeavour without the Chartists, a movement built on the foundations of working-class organisation.
In the many decades since, the workers’ movement has remained at the forefront of this fight. If democracy is to mean anything substantial, it can’t just be the preserve of Westminster or local government. It must be present in our daily lives – most of which are spent in the workplace. Beyond fighting for better wages and conditions, this is the role of trade unions: they are our democratic representation at work.
