Unions in the community

  • Carl Roper Carl Roper

    Occupy! What’s next for unions and the new social movements?

    Poster at Occupy LSX. Photo: victoriaintheworld

    It’s not unusual when the TUC’s Leading Change group visits the US each year for the trip to coincide with a significant event that provides a context for the discussions we have.

    In 2005 the US Labour movement had split just a few months before we arrived and in 2008 the trip came in the initial aftermath of the financial meltdown and just days before the election of Barack Obama. The context to our visit to Harvard University last week was provided by the Occupy Wall Street and other similar protests in what now amounts to around 900 cities across the globe.

    All week, alongside the presentations and discussions on strategies for trade union revival, a debate took place on what, if anything, was the significance of the ‘Occupy’ protests for the anti cuts movement and trade unions and what it would be appropriate for unions to do to provide support.

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    Posted on October 24th, 2011 by Carl Roper filed under: Unions in the community

  • Owen Tudor Owen Tudor

    Unions and the Occupy movement

    Peter Wallsten had an interesting article in the Washington Post on Thursday about the links between unions and Occupy Wall Street.

    As I’ve said here before, unions won’t want to co-opt the protests – and the protesters wouldn’t want them to. But there is a clear alliance to be formed with a new social movement, and a job for unions to do in responding to their concerns (as well as offering the practical and reciprocated support that in a past era characterised the US union relationship with the civil rights movement).

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    Posted on October 23rd, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Unions in the community

  • Anna Burton Anna Burton

    Labour film festivals: A growing movement

    The first ever conference of labour film festival organisers took place in Washington last week, trying to kick start a worldwide labour film festival movement. The number of organisers attending from across the globe was a testament to the growing interest in this area of film-making.

    Although these films do not formally constitute a distinct cinematic genre, it is easy to imagine that they could. Labour films, be they documentary, feature film or cinema shorts, are about celebrating social commitment through the medium of film, and the festivals help show the diversity and complexity of film’s treatment of labour and working people, both locally and globally. The films tell entertaining and heartfelt stories of working people that are as vital for us to see today as ever before.

    It was quite something listening to the peoples stories of organising labour film festivals. With projects running across North America and Europe, the level of commitment and creativity on display is really uplifting.

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    Posted on October 20th, 2011 by Anna Burton filed under: Unions in the community

  • Owen Tudor Owen Tudor

    Unions in US join ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement

    Placard from #OccupyWallStreet. Photo by Eric Hart

    Days ago, the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement in the USA was on the fringes – on the outside left, a howl of protest that many might have sympathised with, but which stood outside the mainstream of political debate. But today, America’s trade unions marched with the movement, and AFLCIO President Rich Trumka issued this statement of support.

    Trade unions came on board at the weekend, when transit workers in the TWU were ordered by police to carry away over 700 arrested protesters. They didn’t want to do it, and their union backed them, but the courts ordered them to proceed. So the unions – unable to strike over the issue – joined the protests instead, taking to the streets in a mass march this afternoon.

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    Posted on October 5th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Unions in the community

  • Alan Weaver Alan Weaver

    Celebrating the chainmakers of Cradley Heath

    Chainmakers Festival logoHave you checked the loose change in your pocket or purse today? Got a 50 pence piece? How would you feel if you had to work a fifty-hour week for that one coin?

    Well, in 1910 the women chainmakers of Cradley Heath won an industrial dispute which gave them a weekly income of 50p – ten shillings in those days – for working long hours in poor conditions as their means of earning a living. This level of income was only achieved through one of the most important labour disputes of the last century which took place in the Black Country.

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    Posted on September 13th, 2011 by Alan Weaver filed under: Unions in the community

  • Owen Tudor Owen Tudor

    Justice4DomesticWorkers

    On Sunday – the only day most of their members have for union activity – Justice4DomesticWorkers protested outside Parliament about Government plans to return migrant domestic workers to conditions of forced labour, only allowed to stay in the country if they stay with the (possibly abusive and violent) boss who brought them in. J4DW is part of Unite the Union, and they are a fantastic bunch of people who deserve our support. Just so you know.

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    Posted on September 6th, 2011 by Owen Tudor filed under: Union campaigns, Unions in the community

  • Tom Mellish Tom Mellish

    Busy times ahead for trades union councils

    It is clear that the trades union council movement in recent years has gone from strength to strength with 168 registered trades union councils compared to only 127 in 2004, with 24 county associations playing a greater co-ordinating role than ever before. But it is not just numbers alone – it was in the campaigning work to make 26 March the success that it was where the grass roots activism of trades union councils came to the fore. And it is in the on-going campaigning against cuts and in defence of public service and the public sector that they continue to play a vital role working with local and national campaign groups to make sure that working people know and understand the truth about the government’s cuts and to get across the message that there is an alternative.

    This programme of work, based on discussions in workshops and debates at the 2011 trades union councils’ conference, is perhaps one of the most detailed that the Trades Union Councils Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC) has produced to date but it reflects the vital role that trades union councils and county associations can play across a wide range of economic, political and social arenas. It provides a framework for Trades Union Council action to build union organisation, form community alliances and raise the profile of the labour movement generally.

    The programme consists of five main areas of work – Cuts, Jobs and the Economy; All together for the NHS; Green Workplaces; Green Community, Community Organising – changing, developing and building the trades union council and the union movement – building the trade union council movement; Fighting Fascism and the Far Right.

    By getting involved in the recommended activities trades union councils are promoting the role of trade unions in the community and encourage more people to join the union  movement which is the prime raison d’être for all trades union councils and county associations.

    And talking about getting involved, isn’t it time you got your union branch affiliated to a local trades union council. With a programme of work like this can your union branch afford not to be connected to their local trades union council.

    A PDF version of the programme of work can be found here  – and you can look up your local trades union council contact details here

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    Posted on August 2nd, 2011 by Tom Mellish filed under: Unions in the community