Loyalist Association of Workers

LAW was formed in 1971 and was initially led by Billy Hull who was a trade union official. It took over from an earlier grouping called the Workers' Committee for the Defence of the Constitution. LAW was closely aligned with Loyalist paramilitary groups particularly the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). During 1972 it protested against the prorogation of the Northern Ireland parliament at Stormont in close association with the UDA and Ulster Vanguard. Most of LAW's supporters joined the Ulster Workers' Council (UWC) when it was formed in 1973. LAW became defunct in 1974 but its avocation of the use of general strikes for political purposes was to prove a highly effective tactic during the successful UWC strike of May 1974. (See also: Key Event - Ulster Workers' Council Strike.)