Bradford City of Culture 2025: Trade Unions remain at the heart of Bradford's culture

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Bradford City of Culture 2025: Trade Unions remain at the heart of Bradford's culture

HELP ENSURE TRADE UNIONISM FEATURES IN BRADFORD’S UK CITY OF CULTURE 2025 CELEBRATIONS

As the UK City of Culture for 2025, Bradford will host hundreds of cultural events and celebrations. 

Few institutions have played a bigger part in Bradford’s history than trade unionism.

There are numerous important characters. One is bus driver Mohammed Taj, a UNITE representative, who in 2013 was elected TUC President, the first Muslim and the first South Asian President.

As President of the Unite NE 302/07 branch I am now urging others to join us in ensuring the life and legacy of this inspirational figure is captured in a 30-minute film that will also highlight historical events and heroes including Julia Varley.

Trade unions in Bradford

The struggle by independent artisans to wring a live wage out of employers existed before trade unions but by 1824/5 the Union Association of Woolcombers and Stuff Weavers found themselves locked out by the Bradford millowners when they requested wage rises to meet rising living costs. The struggle was lost, thousands were victimised. There began attempts at forming a general federation.

Industrial Bradford, created by the industrial revolution at its most ruthless, supported the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The Ten Hours Movement was born in Bradford which also played an essential role in the Chartist Movement.

In 1872, with the dyers’ playing a major role, Bradford Trades Council (BTC) was formed and still exists today. It was crucial in the 1874 agricultural labourers’ revolt and in the famous Manningham Mills Lock Out of the early 1890s. Bradford Trades Council was united on the need for a political party to represent working class aims, culminating in the Labour Party’s formation.

Bradford trade unionists wholeheartedly  backed the miners in the 1926 General Strike. A year earlier Bradford textile workers were key to over 150,000 striking workers regionally winning a battle to restore wages following a pay cut.

Such is the long history of Bradford trade unionism.

A 64-page booklet released by Unite in 2018 on one of our own members in the UNITE NE 302/07 branch, originally formed in 1922, Mohammad Taj is unique in detailing the life of a UK BAEM trade unionist.

Taj spent his early life in a small agricultural village in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, moving to Bradford in 1966. After working in textiles, he worked here in the bus industry for four decades. He was motivated by a white anti-racist trade unionist to get active because he saw the trade union movement as a vehicle to change injustices taking place against ordinary workers.

As a consistently elected workplace representative in the TGWU, then Unite, Mohammad exposed exploitation and discrimination, won major advances on pay and conditions, equality and justice, and supported workers in struggle everywhere. He reached out to youngsters in the fight against fascism and imperialism. He persuaded others like myself to become active trade unionists.

Through his dedication, experience and genuine warmth Mohammad Taj could organise beyond short-term setbacks, ill-informed opposition, outright racism and discrimination to build solidarity, unity and alliances within and beyond the workplace. By doing so he made a difference to millions of people’s lives worldwide. 

Mohammed Taj was elected TUC President on 11 September 2013, the first Muslim and the first South Asian President.

Our branch, which has existed since 1922, has donated £500 towards an appeal by Mark Metcalf, who wrote the booklet on Mohammad Taj, towards the estimated £6,000 costs for a 30-minute documentary based around filmed interviews with Taj, his family, friends, fellow trade unionists, community members and political colleagues. Mark Metcalf will be working with Dave Hackney of Digital Cortex. They have been collaborating on a series of labour movement short pieces over the last 12 months.

Mark: These are listed under Youtube at Mark Metcalf – Fighting Talk

This is the second planned film based on booklets written by Mark Metcalf. The first is on Betty Tebbs and funds of £5,500 have been raised as of mid-August 2024. Invites to speak about this work would be welcomed. Mark Metcalf 07392 852561 metcalfmc@outlook.com

@markmetcalf07

Donations can be made to: Mark C Metcalf

Account number 77358244

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