The Grunwick dispute, 1976-8: Sources at the Modern Records Centre"The Grunwick dispute began in August 1976 when 137 workers, mostly South Asian women, walked out of the Grunwick film processing plant in Willesden, north-east London. The dispute centred on the poor conditions and lack of union recognition at Grunwick and involved the Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff union (APEX), which represented the strikers. The strike, co-ordinated by the Grunwick Strike Committee and led by Jayaben Desai, became a cause celebre for the union movement, attracting a wide range of activist support to picket lines outside the plant. Such was the national impact of the dispute that the then Labour Government set up a Cabinet committee to deal with the issues it raised. The strike was finally called off by the remaining strikers in July 1978 after 670 days." - Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick