Let Us Rise

In 2023, numerous labour uprisings occurred-and Ireland was not immune to this strike wave. Over the course of the months of September and October, 2023, a series of interviews were conducted with Independent Workers' Union (IWU) members involved in the high-profile Iceland Trade Dispute. In this volume, in addition to workers' interviews, we include an essay from a member of the IWU, as well as three supporting, classic pieces written by Irishwomen Trade Unionists, including one from James Connolly's daughter, Nora, who proudly continued her father's work.

A recurring theme of the interviews present in this book is the presence of a large number of women, especially mothers, in the frontlines of Irish labor struggles. Taken together, classical writings from Irishwomen Trade Unionists and contemporary writings such as those from the Iceland workers, emphasize the ongoing, interconnected struggles of women who, across time, bear the brunt of exploitation. Women are providers for their families; they pay mortgages, and they have children to raise. 

The second volume in Iskra Books' Let Us Rise: Trade Unionism in Ireland series reveals the voices of women in the Irish struggle; it also reveals the immense amount of union pride present among women workers. This volume works to demonstrate that, across time, there exists a deep solidarity among rank-and-file union members who know the power of the collective voice; who know that, as workers, we have, through struggle, nothing to lose but our chains.