It is one hundred years since the Great Dublin Lockout of 1913. This was a seminal event in the development of the Irish trade union and labour movement….

Today’s trade union movement should look to the events of a century ago as an inspiration. Capitalists on a global scale are attempting to reverse all the gains that organised workers have made over recent decades. Even the very right to be a member of a trade union is now under attack. Leaders of the labour and trade union movement should not be arbiters in the conflict between labour and capital. Less still should they become spokespersons for policies of austerity and cut-backs. The events of Dublin in 1913 demonstrate the importance of unity and solidarity in the face of the current employers’ offensive.

Read more: 1913 Lockout pdf