In the United Kingdom, the Sex Workers Union (SWU) is the sex workers' branch of the trade union Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).
The SWU represents people including full-service sex workers, strippers, webcam models and pornographic actors.
The organisation was established in 2018 and was formerly called the United Sex Workers (USW), [1] [2] a branch of United Voices of the World (UVW).
In 2023, the USW disbanded and its former members joined the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) [3] as the Sex Workers' Union branch. [4]
As the USW, members campaigned against Deliveroo's policy on sex workers and said that this led Deliveroo to change the policy. [5] [6]
The union believes that its members should be classified as members under UK labour laws, and takes legal action on this matter. [7] For instance, in 2020 Sonia Nowak with the aid of the union won a legal case classifying strippers as workers, not independent contractors. [8]
The SWU has campaigned against the closure of strip clubs. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]
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. [14]
The Sex Workers Union has been subject to coverage in Studies in Political Economy , Vice ,[ citation needed ] and Social and Legal Studies . [15]
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.
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.
A lap dance is a type of erotic dance performance offered in many strip clubs in which the dancer typically has body contact with a seated patron. Lap dancing is different from table dancing, in which the dancer is close to a seated patron, but without body contact. Variant terms include couch dance, which is a lap dance where the customer is seated on a couch.
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.
The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, the United Steelworkers represents workers in Canada, the Caribbean, and the United States. The United Steelworkers represent workers in a diverse range of industries, including primary and fabricated metals, paper, chemicals, glass, rubber, heavy-duty conveyor belting, tires, transportation, utilities, container industries, pharmaceuticals, call centers, museums, and health care.
The Lusty Lady is a pair of defunct peep show establishments, one in downtown Seattle and one in the North Beach district of San Francisco. The Lusty Lady was made famous by the labor activism of its San Francisco workers and the publication of several books about working there.
A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in 1978, where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.
Bay Area Sex Worker Advocacy Network (BAYSWAN) is a non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area which works to improve working conditions, increase benefits, and eliminate discrimination on behalf of individuals working within both legal and criminalized adult entertainment industries. The organization provides advice and information to social service, policy reformers, media outlets, politicians, including the San Francisco Task Force on Prostitution and Commission on the Status of Women (COSW), and law enforcement agencies dealing with sex workers.
Prostitution in Turkey is legal and regulated. The secularization of Turkish society allowed prostitution to achieve legal status during the early 20th century. Known as "general houses" (genelevler) in the country, brothels must receive permits from the government to operate. In turn, the regulatory agencies issue identity cards to sex workers that give them rights to some free medical care and other social services. However, many local governments now have a policy of not issuing new registrations, and in some cities, such as Ankara and Bursa, brothels have been demolished by court order.
Sex workers' rights encompass a variety of aims being pursued globally by individuals and organizations that specifically involve the human, health, and labor rights of sex workers and their clients. The goals of these movements are diverse, but generally aim to legalize or decriminalize sex work, as well as to destigmatize it, regulate it and ensure fair treatment before legal and cultural forces on a local and international level for all persons in the sex industry.
The Sexual Freedom Awards is an annual British event that honours achievement in the sexuality and erotica industries worldwide.
The legal status of striptease varies considerably among different countries and the various jurisdictions of the United States. Striptease is considered a form of public nudity and subject to changing legal and cultural attitudes on moral and decency grounds. Some countries do not have any restrictions on performances of striptease. In some countries, public nudity is outlawed directly, while in other countries it may be suppressed or regulated indirectly through devices such as restrictions on venues through planning laws, or licensing regulations, or liquor licensing and other restrictions.
The Adult Entertainment Association of Canada is a coalition of strip club owners and their agents that represents 53 of the 140 strip clubs in Ontario, Canada. Tim Lambrinos is the organization's director.
JC's Girls is an evangelical Christian women's organization in the United States whose members evangelize to female workers in the sex industry. The organization supports women wishing to leave the industry, but does not try to persuade them to do so. The group does not focus upon conversion but rather on communicating its message that Christians exist who are not judging female sex workers and are willing to accept them. The organization also helps both women and men seeking to overcome pornography addiction.
Deliveroo is a British online food delivery company founded by Will Shu and Greg Orlowski in 2013 in London, England. It operates in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. It formerly operated in Germany, Taiwan, Spain, the Netherlands, and Australia. Its subsidiary operation, Deliveroo Editions operates dark kitchens for the preparation of delivery-only meals.
United Voices of the World (UVW) is an independent grassroots trade union, established in London in 2014.
In the United Kingdom, a sex establishment licence is a form of licence required for carrying on some types of sex-related businesses. Sex establishment licences are granted by local authorities, under the powers granted by the Local Government Act 1982.
The Social Workers Union (SWU) is a registered trade union for social work professionals and an organisational member of The British Association of Social Workers (BASW). The SWU reports over 15,000 paid members July 2022. This union devoted to social workers was set up on 21 June 2011, triggered by research among BASW members that indicated it was difficult to work under tremendous pressure to deliver social services and to often be subjected to criticism in the media. and because SWU has a legal right for its A&R officers to attend and represent at disciplinary and grievance procedures unlike BASW, offering an extra layer of support for its members.
Jaz Brisack is an American barista. They're also known for leading unionizing efforts at Starbucks, namely at a Buffalo, New York store.
The Sex/Work Strike began in 2018 as part of the International Women's Strike on International Women's Day with the aims of decriminalisation of sex work. Participants included the writer Molly Smith, author of Revolting Prostitutes. In 2019 it was supported by many groups including the English Collective of Prostitutes, x:talk, United Voices of the World (USW), East London Strippers Collective, Sisters Uncut Edinburgh, London, Class War and Young Greens.
