Ian Allinson has been a workplace activist since 1991, working for a private sector employer which didn't recognise a union for most workers, and where he led a number of strikes including the first national strike in the IT industry. He served ten years on the national Executive Committees of Amicus and Unite, and was a candidate for Unite General Secretary in 2017. He served as industrial action coordinator on Manchester TUC's executive committee, where he was previously president.