In the United Kingdom, the Sex Workers Union (SWU) is the

sex worker A sex worker is a person who provides sex work, either on a regular or occasional basis. The term is used in reference to those who work in all areas of the sex industry.Oxford English Dictionary, "sex worker" According to one view, sex work is ...

s' branch of the trade union Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU). The SWU represents people including full-service sex workers,

stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...

webcam model A webcam model (colloquially, camgirl, camboy, or cammodel) is a video performer who streams on the Internet with a live webcam broadcast. A webcam model often performs erotic acts online, such as stripping, masturbation, or sex acts in exchan ...

s and

pornographic actor A pornographic film actor or actress, pornographic performer, adult entertainer, or porn star is a person who performs sex acts on video that is usually characterized as a pornographic film. Such videos tend to be made in a number of distinct ...

History

The organisation was established in 2018 and was formerly called the United Sex Workers (USW), a branch of

United Voices of the World United Voices of the World (UVW) is an independent grassroots trade union in the United Kingdom established in London in 2014. Members of the union are mainly those in insecure work, such as low-wage workers in the 'gig economy' and Outsourcing ...

(UVW). In 2023, the USW disbanded and its former members joined the

Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) is a trade union in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1847 in Manchester, it represents workers in the food industry. History The union dates its origin to 1847. The Manchester Friendly Associatio ...

(BFAWU) as the Sex Workers' Union branch.

Campaigns

As the USW, members campaigned against

Deliveroo Deliveroo is a British multinational online food delivery company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It operates in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Qatar. It formerly ...

's policy on sex workers and said that this led Deliveroo to change the policy. The union believes that its members should be classified as members under UK labour laws, and takes legal action on this matter. For instance, in 2020 Sonia Nowak with the aid of the union won a legal case classifying strippers as workers, not independent contractors. The SWU has campaigned against the closure of strip clubs. 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.

Media coverage

The Sex Workers Union has been subject to coverage in ''

Studies in Political Economy ''Studies in Political Economy'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering political economy. Although an international journal, it has an emphasis on work concerning Canada. The journal publishes three times a year electronically and appears i ...

'', ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...

'', and '' Social and Legal Studies''.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.swunion.co.uk/ 2018 establishments in the United Kingdom Arts and media trade groups Pornography in the United Kingdom Sex worker organisations based in the United Kingdom Sexuality in the United Kingdom Trade unions in the United Kingdom

History

Campaigns

Media coverage

See also

References

External links