Union Organiser (1987) is a lithograph by Scottish artist Ken Currie (b. 1960). The print prominently features a male figure holding a cigarette in one hand and a book in the other, with a megaphone strapped over his shoulder, set against an industrial backdrop of brick walls, coiled rope, and looming factory structures, evoking the harsh environment of industrial Scotland. The stark black-and-white composition heightens the emotional intensity of the scene, emphasising the figure's resolute stance. Likely produced alongside Currie's major series commemorating the 1787 Calton Weavers' Massacre for the People's Palace in Glasgow, this lithograph powerfully captures the spirit of collective struggle during a time of significant social and industrial change in late 1980s Scotland.

Ken Currie, born 1960

Ken Currie was born in North Shields, Tyne and Wear, to Scottish parents. After studying social sciences in Scotland he trained as a painter at Glasgow School of Art from 1978 to 1983. Currie soon achieved prominence as a result of his assertive and graphic images of working-class life. A thoughtful political artist, he sought in his early work to highlight the plights of the whole communities, especially those that were seen as the victims of industrial and urban decay. The Glasgow shipyards, the protest march, the slums and working men's pubs have been his subjects.