Slough Chix Strike

Slough

In October 1979 workers at the Chix confectionery factory in Slough went on strike for recognition of their union by Chix’s managing director. The factory was best known for making bubblegum and the workforce were mainly South Asian and women.

The strike gained support from the wider South Asian community and was part of a wave of strike action across the 1970s and 1980s, such as the Grunwick dispute or Imperial Typewriters strike, where South Asian women were involved and challenged preconceived notions in Britain of the passivity of South Asian women. The strike lasted for eight months and ultimately the workers won their demand.