the ladies came out with mrs jayaben desai. will you stay here? untilwe out with mrs jayaben desai.u stay here? until we finish this dispute. a year? any time. five years? ten years. unions from across england supported us. all the unions we re england supported us. all the unions were there with big banners. there we re were there with big banners. there were a lot of policemen, you could see them all over the street and in the middle of them was jayaben desal the middle of them was jayaben desai. the strike committee found its act evermore circumscribed. two yea rs its act evermore circumscribed. two years after it had begun, the strike was called off. jayaben desai was not upset with the defeat at all. we felt that asian women in england had fought the two years for the union. and we were proud of that fight. the reason why if we were fighting, we have achieved. the treatment with the staff has already changed. it is a great victory. the wages were increased after that. don't you think it is a victory was make ——?|i am so think it is a victory was make ——?|i am so proud of myself

archive: for asian housewife, mrs jayaben desai, her 220th day on the picket line was marked by a presentationon on behalf of the north west london usdaw shopworkers union to mrs desai, who is the treasurer of the strike committee. thank you very much, madam, for coming along. translation: jayaben desai was a very strong woman. she had made up of mind to bring the union into the factory, because our women were treated badly. we believe that, if women have so many rights in this country, then why can't we have them too? grunwick relied upon the new influx of asians from east africa to supply its workforce. commonly thought passive and hard—working, the tables were about to turn. in the grunwick factory there was a big classroom where the manager used to sit. he would observe us all from that room. he would keep an eye on us. if you were going to the toilet and it took too long, then he would ask why? what were you up to? there is no doubt... the unlikely leader of the grunwick strike, jayaben desai, would challenge the stereotype of the submissive asian woman. i was on the picket line from the