We went on strike last year for better workers’ rights at our workplace and a pay rise. We didn’t start off planning to strike, we had a lot of negotiation meetings between the union and the company and asked politely for the rights we needed. But the company wouldn’t give us anything.
Going on strike allowed us to find our inner strength, to get respect from the company and to win better rights at work. It meant that the company saw that we were strong, and we were serious about what we were asking for.
To the government that is trying to make it harder for workers like me to take strike action when the company isn’t negotiating fairly – I say that’s disgusting and it’s hypocritical. We are here trying to get by, to educate and feed and look after our kids and to make ends meet. They don’t know how stressful it is, how bad for your mental health it is when you’re stressed about money. If they say they care about workers and about mental health, then they have to protect our most important right to strike to win better conditions and pay at work.