Liam is a researcher and trade unionist who has worked in and around the UK labour movement for nearly a decade.
Liam currently works as an advisor at Unite the Union, having previously held research roles at the Communication Workers Union and CLASS, a labour-affiliated think-tank. Liam’s interests centre on re-building the labour movement to confront deindustrialisation, climate crisis and the rise of the far-right. In particular, at a time of declining union power and class consciousness, Liam is interested in how struggles for “just transitions” can consolidate or challenge hegemonic assumptions about what is, and what is not, possible. He is a strong believer that participatory research can help revitalise union democracy and build power in the workplace.
Before working in trade unions, Liam previously worked in impact evaluation for a small NGO in Northern Peru. He was also an editor for Red Pepper, a magazine of left politics and culture. Liam holds a BA in Geography and MA in Poverty and Development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex.
Progressive, sustainable change has to come from below. For trade unionists, this starts where working people most frequently encounter inequality: the workplace. This can mean anything from gaining union recognition, to new health and safety measures, or above inflation pay deals. It is only by building locally, in workplaces and communities, that we can begin to think about change nationally.Liam Kennedy