On April 8th 2023, Bristol IWW helped organise a social event by our comrades from the Pan-African Workers’ Association (PAWA).

The event was well-attended by workers from Southern Africa enjoying a relaxed atmosphere with drinks, music and free food. IWW members ran a bar and provided a workers’ rights drop-in clinic on the night, speaking to people working everywhere from health and social care to meat-packing factories.

There were also brief speeches from PAWA and IWW members which highlighted what we were trying to achieve with the event and that reminding attendees that, should they need support, that both groups would be on hand to provide it. An injury to one is an injury to all!

PAWA are a new group aiming to encourage participation in the labour movement among African workers in the UK. Since their inception, they have worked with Organise Now to deliver a union organising training day for African care workers as well as meetings with unions like UVW, IWGB, and Unison.

Another PAWA social event is currently being organised for London in the summer, in conjunction with London IWW.