In the United Kingdom, the Sex Workers Union (SWU) is the sex workers' branch of the trade union Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).
The SWU represents people including full-service sex workers, strippers, webcam models and pornographic actors.
History
editThe organisation was established in 2018 and was formerly called the United Sex Workers (USW),[1][2] a branch of United Voices of the World (UVW).
In 2023, the USW disbanded and its former members joined the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU)[3] as the Sex Workers' Union branch.[4]
Campaigns
editAs the USW, members campaigned against Deliveroo's policy on sex workers and said that this led Deliveroo to change the policy.[5][6]
The union believes that its members should be classified as members under UK labour laws, and takes legal action on this matter.[7] For instance, in 2020 Sonia Nowak with the aid of the union won a legal case classifying strippers as workers, not independent contractors.[8]
The SWU has campaigned against the closure of strip clubs.[9][10][11][12][13]
The union has been involved in numerous campaigns and protests, including the "Red Umbrella" campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the violence and discrimination faced by sex workers.[14]
Media coverage
editThe Sex Workers Union has been subject to coverage in Studies in Political Economy, Vice,[citation needed] and Social and Legal Studies.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Where did SWU begin? Est. 2018". swunion.co.uk. Sex Workers Union. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Steinhardt, Daisy (24 March 2022). "Sex workers of the world, unite". Bristol24/7.
- ^ "Goodbye and Good Luck Sex Workers!". United Voices of the World. 28 April 2023.
- ^ Cruz, Katie (6 October 2023). "Unionising Sex Workers and Other Feminists". Social & Legal Studies. 33 (4): 501–525. doi:10.1177/09646639231206695 – via Sage Journals.
- ^ "Deliveroo drops discriminatory policy against Sex Workers after pressure from Unions!". Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). 19 September 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Deliveroo drops discriminatory policy against Sex Workers after pressure from Unions". Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Barbagallo, Camille; Cruz, Katie (2 September 2021). "Dancers win at work: unionization and Nowak v Chandler Bars Group Ltd". Studies in Political Economy. 102 (3): 354–375. doi:10.1080/07078552.2021.2000208. hdl:1983/26d54dac-e026-4466-8215-7d9d48886d22. ISSN 0707-8552. S2CID 246092492.
- ^ "Strippers union United Voices of the World (UVW) wins landmark legal victory proving strippers are 'workers', not independent contractors". Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Marlow, Abigail (2 March 2023). "Huddersfield stripper 'looking forward to work' as club given new licence". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Reporter, Local Democracy (15 March 2023). "Delay to strip club licensing scheme after 'nil cap' struck down by legal decision". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Ward, Sarah; Farr, Jacob (4 June 2022). "Union backs Edinburgh sex workers in fight to keep strip clubs open". EdinburghLive. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Forbes, Ellie. "Strippers raise £20,000 to fight Edinburgh clubs ban". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "'I'll Have to Leave Edinburgh': Sex Workers' Fears After the City Bans Strip Clubs". Novara Media.
- ^ "Sex Workers Are Being Detained at the US Border". Novara Media. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ Cruz, Katie (6 October 2023). "Unionising Sex Workers and Other Feminists". Social & Legal Studies. 33 (4): 501–525. doi:10.1177/09646639231206695. hdl:1983/c8d4b606-7703-4dde-8859-63efbda205a9. ISSN 0964-6639. S2CID 263812976.
External links
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