The historic 1976 strike will finally be marked

A legendary trade union dispute which is widely regarded as a watershed moment in the history of industrial relations will be commemorated in a new street name.

The former site of the Grunwick factory, off Chapter Road, Dolis Hill, will be renamed Grunwick Close, to commemorate the historic two year strike in which the mainly Asian, female workforce walked out to try and win union recognition.

The announcement comes just weeks after Jayaben Desai, who led the ‘strikers in saris’ died.

Cllr Lesley Jones, Willesden Green ward, initially requested that the small side street be named after Ms Desai when building work began on redeveloping the site a couple of years ago.

Building Control, the government body in charge of road naming, rejected this request, but compromised by naming the street after the dispute.

Cllr Jones, who is also lead member for local democracy and consultation, said: “The Grunwick dispute was off national importance. It changed people’s attitudes towards letting employee become members of a union.

“By naming the street after it we are honouring a memory.

“This will be the first time the dispute is commemorated locally. We haven’t got many historic sites in Brent, so it is all the more reason to honour those we do have.”

The strike, which began in 1976 and lasted two years, did not win the workforce the union recognition they had wanted.

But the courage and resilience of the workforce made it a seminal moment in the history of industrial relations.

Ms Jones also revealed that she hopes to erect a plaque at the site.