Sex Workers Union

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 Sex Workers Union created in 2023

The SWU represents people including full-service sex workers, strippers, webcam models and pornographic actors.

History

The 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, members voted to affiliate with Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU).

Campaigns

As the USW, members campaigned against Deliveroo's policy on sex workers and said that this led Deliveroo to change the policy.[3][4]

The union believes that its members should be classified as members under UK labour laws, and takes legal action on this matter.[5] For instance, in 2020, they won a legal case classifying strippers as workers, not independent contractors.[6]

The SWU has campaigned against the closure of strip clubs.[7][8][9][10][11]

The Sex Workers Union joined in the Hookers Against Hardship campaign.[12]

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.[13]

Media coverage

The Sex Workers Union has been subject to coverage in Studies in Political Economy, Vice, and Social and Legal Studies.[14]

See also

References
  1. "Where did SWU begin? Est. 2018". swunion.co.uk. Sex Workers Union. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  2. Steinhardt, Daisy (24 March 2022). "Sex workers of the world, unite". Bristol24/7.
  3. "Deliveroo drops discriminatory policy against Sex Workers after pressure from Unions!". Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). 19 September 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  4. "Deliveroo drops discriminatory policy against Sex Workers after pressure from Unions". Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  5. 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. ISSN 0707-8552. S2CID 246092492.
  6. "Strippers union United Voices of the World (UVW) wins landmark legal victory proving strippers are 'workers', not independent contractors". Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  7. Marlow, Abigail (2 March 2023). "Huddersfield stripper 'looking forward to work' as club given new licence". YorkshireLive. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  8. 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.
  9. Ward, Sarah; Farr, Jacob (4 June 2022). "Union backs Edinburgh sex workers in fight to keep strip clubs open". EdinburghLive. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  10. Forbes, Ellie. "Strippers raise £20,000 to fight Edinburgh clubs ban". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  11. "'I'll Have to Leave Edinburgh': Sex Workers' Fears After the City Bans Strip Clubs". Novara Media.
  12. "'Hookers Against Hardship' challenge Government on cost of living crisis | GlasgowWorld".
  13. "Sex Workers Are Being Detained at the US Border". Novara Media. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  14. Cruz, Katie (6 October 2023). "Unionising Sex Workers and Other Feminists". Social & Legal Studies. doi:10.1177/09646639231206695. ISSN 0964-6639. S2CID 263812976.
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