www.gli-manchester.net
Celia Mather’s article, The global trade union movement: Stepping up to the plate?, has been published on the Red Pepper online blog. You can read it by clicking the link above.
Celia’s brilliant article provides a snapshot of 2015 GLI International Summer School, drawing attention to how the School is organised, the questions posed and the conclusions put forward by its participants.
The Global Labour University (GLU) invites trade unionists and labour activists to apply to its Masters in “Labour and Development ” at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa and “Social Economy and Labour ” at the University of Campinas, Brazil.
The programmes focus on global governance including international labour standards, economics, trade, and multinational companies from a labour perspective and on trade unions and other social movements as actors of change. This joint initiative of universities from different continents, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the international trade union movement and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation provides a global study environment and offers unique opportunities for international networking and cross border collaboration.
A limited number of scholarships will be awarded by the GLU network to students in need of support.
The deadlines for application are:
1st September 2015 for University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Contact: Pulane Ditlhake – glu.southafrica(at)wits.ac.za
1st October 2015 for University of Campinas, Brazil
Contact: Prof. Eugenia Leone – glu.brazil.2010(at)gmail.com
Click video above to watch the ISS15 short film!
After an exhausting but thoroughly inspiring week of plenary sessions, group discussions, workshops, film screenings, an anarchist castle tour and a book launch, this year’s GLI International Summer School 2015 has come to an end.
You can catch up with videos, blog posts, presentations and further reading from almost all of this year’s plenary and discussion sessions at our revamped 2015 Summer School webpage here: global-labour.net/iss15
We encourage you to use the site as an educational resource for bringing the debates of the Summer School to your own trade unions and organisations. Please note that the site is a work in progress and we’ll continue to add extra content – blog entries, further reading, edited videos, etc. – as they become available.
The fourth GLI International Summer School has begun!
Held at Northern College in Barnsley, UK, the School brings together over 100 trade union activists from over 30 countries “to debate and question what are, and what should be, the politics of the international trade union movement”.
If you are unable to participate in person, you can follow the 2015 GLI International Summer School live on line. Most of the plenary sessions and presentations will be streamed live on the web, and can be watched on our webpage.
You can also participate on social media – Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – using the #ISS15 hashtag.
Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) has published a new working paper, “Power to the People: Toward Democratic Control of Electricity Generation“, which aims to show how “another energy is possible, and absolutely necessary”. The paper, published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung–New York Office, examines the actual and potential content behind the term energy democracy in order to help unions get a better grasp of what is happening now and what could happen in the future. It succinctly explains the failure of profit-driven approaches to either emissions reductions or controlling energy demand.
According to Sean Sweeney, the coordinator of TUED, “The paper is not a blueprint. It shows what is happening, and also what needs to happen in order to reduce emissions and pollution. Its main message is, if we want to control atmospheric warming and to protect our common home, then we have to get serious about reclaiming and democratizing energy. Unions in different countries and from all sectors are increasingly aware of the need to do this.”
Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) is a global, multi-sector trade union initiative to advance democratic direction and control of energy in a way that promotes solutions to the climate crisis, energy poverty, the degradation of both land and people, and responds to the attacks on workers’ rights and protections. TUED is the signature project of the International Program for Labor, Climate & Environment at the Murphy Institute, City University of New York and is part of the Global Labour Institute Network.
GLI is pleased to announce that Dave Spooner has been appointed as Director of Union Solidarity International (USi) in a part-time capacity.
He will continue to be a co-Director of GLI. Dave will take over from Andrew Brady, who has been instrumental in steering USi to become a leading news provider and grassroots international organisation for union solidarity using social media, and generating union support throughout the world. Andrew is stepping down from USi to take up vital work for Unite the Union in the UK.
Dave’s appointment marks the beginning of a new and exciting phase of growing cooperation between GLI and USi. As many will know, USi has been instrumental in transforming GLI’s annual international summer school into a major live-streamed social media event.
We now look forward to working together more closely, combining skills and experience in campaigning, communications, education, research and project management to advance international trade union organisation and solidarity.
International Trade Union Organising
GLI Manchester is running an “International Trade Union Organising” weekend course from April 24-26th at Northern College, Barnsley. Register before March 26th to secure yourself a place!
This course will use recent and current case studies of international organising in transnational companies or global supply chains to analyse and discuss success and failure to build truly effective union power. It will take on questions such as how do we tackle the global corporations? What organising approaches and tactics work best? What does real solidarity mean in an industrial context?
Young activists are particularly encouraged to apply, and GLI strives to have a 50:50 gender balance on all courses.
Download the course brochure here.
An Introduction to the International Trade Union Movement
27th -29th March, Northern College, Barnsley, UK.
This weekend course aims to offer an insight into the world of the international trade union movement, examining its history, structures, priorities and contemporary political debates, as well as practical ideas on becoming actively involved.
GLI weekend courses are open to trade union activists and others interested in the international dimension to trade unionism. No educational qualifications needed, although some prior experience of trade union education would be helpful. Each course is based on discussion, group work, and practical exercises.
Young activists are particularly encouraged to apply, and GLI strives to have a 50:50 gender balance on all courses.
Download the course brochure here.
Development and Labour Studies MA
A new GLU programme is being offered at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi that has a strong focus on labour and the informal economy.
The MA in “Development and Labour Studies” will be based at Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies (CISLS) at JNU which has a teaching/research focus on labour processes and working conditions in the unorganised sector in the contemporary world, particularly in developing countries. Further information about the programme can be found at the GLU website here.
The deadline for programme applications is 2nd February 2015, course contact: archie.prasad11(at)gmail.com.
Other GLU programmes include:
“Labor and Global Workers’ Rights” at PennState University in the United States
Course contact: Patricia Everhart at pxm205(at)psu.edu
Applications Deadline: 1st March 2015
“Labour Policies and Globalisation” at University of Kassel and Berlin School of Economics and Law in Germany
Course contact: Simone Buckel at glu.germany(at)uni-kassel.de
Applications Deadline: 1st March 2015
What is the GLU?
The GLU as a joint initiative of universities from different continents, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) the international trade union movement and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation provides a unique global study environment and offers great opportunities for international networking and cross border collaboration.
A limited number of scholarships will be awarded by the GLU network to students in need of support.
For application and programme details please visit http://www.global-labour-university.org
The Hong Kong Confedartion of Trade Unions (HKCTU) and Globalization Monitor have issued a call for action against escalating violent assaults on labour organisations in China.
This appeal follows the assault of Zeng Feiyang, the head of the Panyu Migrant Workers Documentation Centre (PMWDC), by four unidentified persons on December 26th 2014. PMWDC has been providing legal and other services to migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta since 1998 and the attack on its head is the latest in an escalating series of attacks against independent organizations across China advising workers on their legal and workplace rights.
On December 27, 2014, PMWDC issued a statement sternly condemning violence targeting citizens working for workers’ welfare and demanding the police to pursue, investigate and administer justice according to the law. In a few days, over 20 labour organisations in mainland China and more than 2,000 individuals joined in signing the statement.
The Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and Globalization Monitor have posted an online petition in support of these demands. Please add your support here.