Redhills building

Brick by brick

The reopening of Redhills Durham is a reminder of how Britain’s trade unions built their own networks of welfare, art and culture, writes Rhian E. Jones  Coalmining has played an essential part in shaping Durham. Beyond the county’s picture-postcard city, cathedral and university, the Durham...
A black and white photo portrait of John Horner

He secured a voice for the FBU

Firefighter talks to Rosalind Eyben, daughter of the wartime FBU general secretary John Horner and his wife Pat, about her new book on their lives Can you set out who John Horner, your father, was? What was his background before becoming a political figure, and what memories do you have of him? John...
FBU national school YES VOTE Wortley Hall credit Jess Hurd

An oasis of socialism in a stately home

Helen Hague celebrates the history and importance of Wortley Hall - built by aristocrats but now owned by the workers Wortley Hall, a Georgian mansion in South Yorkshire, was built for aristocrats who got rich on coal and the toil of miners in the pit they owned nearby. The ancestral home of the...

Driven by poverty pay

With only the third ever national fire service strike in prospect, Will Stone talks to FBU members involved in previous disputes November marked the 20th anniversary of the start of a nationwide strike by more than 50,000 firefighters over pay. It was a bitter dispute lasting more than six months...
Acton Town Hall tribute Joe Strummer pay dispute 2002

Anger can be power

Gregor Gall, author of a new book on the politics and influence of Joe Strummer of the Clash, recalls his support for the FBU and other causes Photo: With thanks to George Binette The twentieth anniversary of two significant moments for many FBU members falls this autumn. The first is the benefit...