The Class Work Project Deficit Fund

What is The Class Work Project? 

We are a workers’ co-operative battling class stigma and marginalisation across the UK! 

We consist of four members, Dot, D, Hannah, and Shan - four folks from poor and working-class backgrounds.

We met in 2019 and formed around a shared frustration with the classism of activist and social movement groups that we had been a part of. We seek to centre the knowledge and experiences of poor and working-class people by publishing our quarterly publication Lumpen: a journal for poor and working-class writers, and delivering workshops on class. Our workshops aid the unpacking of class tensions in organisations and communities across the UK. We also work to create opportunities for the redistribution of resources within social movements.

Check out our blog to find out more about what we think, or at least what keeps us thinking...

A bit more info on this:

Our foundational principles can be summed up by the words ‘Recognition, Redistribution, and Revolution’ (Recite three times in the mirror and the spectre of capital shall appear before you, trembling...)

Recognition: The demonisation and debasement of the poor and working-class has always been a fundamental principle of capitalism. In response, we have used a myriad of tools to affirm ourselves as humans worthy of not just meeting our basic needs, but as individuals and communities with an array of rich cultural practices and intellectual lives. As caring and compassionate people with wisdom to share. The Class Work Project is part of this tradition and seeks to centre those intellectual lives and wisdom.  

Redistribution: Contemporary capitalism, like its previous mutations, has a cornerstone principle of extracting as much profit for the capitalist class as possible. The Class Work Project is part of the wider working-class struggle for an equitable distribution of resources and control over the production of those resources. But as that struggle continues, with no end in sight, we also argue for a redistribution of resources within the social movements that challenge capitalism and the manifestations of its violence. The stratification of society looms large over social movements, reproducing exclusion and marginalisation, and leaving the most precarious to fend for themselves. Those of us participating in these struggles must begin to collectivise our resources and redistribute our wealth in ways that build more equitable social movements.

Revolution: The Class Work Project seeks not only an end to capitalism and the state but to all forms of domination and oppression. We don’t think for a second that we can bring that about alone but aim to add knowledge and practice to social movements working towards the same ends. We aim to foster mutual aid, solidarity, support, compassion, and communities of care, in order to live peaceful lives when victory comes to the working class. 

So why are we doing a crowdfunding campaign?

We currently have a shortfall of £7000 for 2021.  If we can’t close this gap, we can’t keep going the way we have been—let alone fulfill our aspirations to grow.  In part, this has been caused by the pandemic, which has made it impossible to run our two-day, open workshops (which help to financially support the rest of our work). It’s also because we’re relatively early in Class Work’s development, and still figuring out ways to streamline our work, drum up funding, and build our subscription numbers. 

We’re asking for support because we don’t want to be scaling down, we want to be scaling up. We’re excited to find new ways to manifest the aims and principles of our politics, build on the success of our work so far, and create more spaces for poor and working-class voices to be heard. 

We have a lot of meaningful and incredible engagement over the last few years, I'm sure some of you can attest to that. If we felt like our work in Class Work wasn't getting anywhere then we would’ve packed it in already, but we believe that our work is more needed than ever.

How much do we need? 

£5000+

We’re aiming to raise £5000 with this crowdfunding campaign, which would make a massive difference to our budget shortfall. We have hummed and hawed over this figure, as we’re very conscious that the impacts of COVID mean there are many struggling projects and individuals who need a cash infusion as much,or more, as we do. In the end, we have decided to have faith in our project, believing that it’s making a worthwhile contribution to social change movements and radical discourse in the UK. We hope you feel the same. 

How will we use the money?

• Paying workers at a living wage for 3 days a week.
• Paying the authors of Lumpen.
• Printing and other publishing costs

If we raise more than our target, we will begin to consider how we can make ourselves more sustainable in the future - that might mean expanding to new members, sourcing more appropriate work and storage space, office, and design materials. etc.

GIFTS!

If you donate we will be eternally grateful - and to show you how grateful we are here is a sneak peek of the gifts up for grabs.

Posters!

Set 1 - 3 posters all of which began life in Lumpen: Basic Needs, Good Life, Pigeons.

Set 2 - Recognition, Redistribution, Revolution: infographic and a colourful one.

LUMPEN NO SWEAT/Printed in London T-SHIRT!

We've used No Sweat T-shirts for this lovely limited-edition merchandise.

About No Sweat:

Sweatshop labour is modern, global capitalism stripped bare. From the small, backstreet sweatshop to some of the biggest corporations in the world – child labour, forced overtime, poverty wages, unsafe conditions, harassment of women workers and intimidation of trade unionists are commonplace.

No Sweat is a grassroots campaign that builds solidarity among workers’ worldwide. We look to global social justice movements and to the international workers’ movement to build common, united, campaigning action against workplace exploitation and the sweatshop bosses.

No Sweat stands for workers’ solidarity.

Issues of Lumpen!

These are the front covers of Lumpen -  issues 1 to 7.  

CHPBK 01 See What Life if Like by Dot Spencer

CHPBK 02 BREEZE BLOCK by Jake Hawkey

The first 2 issues of our chapbook poetry series. Dot and Jake are incredible poets. 

get a signed copy. woo!

Chav Solidarity by D. Hunter

Tracksuits, Traumas & Class Traitors by D. Hunter

Very very good books by D. Hunter. If you'd like a strong contemporary exploration of class and intersecting things then make sure you get them. signed too!

<3 THANK YOU <3