Author: des

GLI Manchester is pleased to announce that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and the Formalisation of Informal Transport Trade Union Negotiating Guide is now available to view and download.

This negotiating guide attempts to develop policy options for transport unions to consider when planning negotiations with agencies on the introduction of BRT and formalisation of the informal transport industry. It is primarily designed for ITF affiliated transport unions in Africa and Asia where BRT is rapidly expanding, but is hopefully of value to all trade unions organising in urban transport.

It is designed to be used as a briefing for trade union representatives, negotiators, educators and policy researchers faced with proposals for the introduction of BRT and the formalisation of the informal transport industry in their city.

This negotiating guide was commissioned for GLI Manchester by the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) as a contribution to the ITF Our Public Transport (OPT) programme.

The objectives of ITF’s OPT are to “promote quality public transport and inclusive cities in Africa, including decent jobs, a just transition for informal workers, strong union representation and improved access to affordable mobility”.

On October 7, 8 and 9 2019, the GLI Paris held its second International Autumn School at Bergerie de Villarceaux, near Paris.

100 activists from the trade union, research and association sectors from 18 countries gathered together to think about the links between trade union movements and other civil society movements.

Participants shared experiences of alliances that have helped to strengthen feminist demands in union organisation, discussed the need to fight against the rise of the far right in the workplace, and the importance of organising for the climate cause.

Discussions also focused on how to organise the unorganised, including those who work in sectors far from union organisation – such as the informal sector. The school was also an opportunity to explore how to conduct transnational campaigns and build alliances between unions and other citizen movements.

See the full report of the school here.

Video report from the GLI Paris French School

On 28th September 2019, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) hosted union representatives and allies from around the world in New York during “Climate Week” for a one-day international conference on ‘The Green New Deal, Net-Zero Carbon, and The Crucial Role of Public Ownership.‘

The conference was framed around issues and concerns that have emerged around recent union struggles to defend and extend public ownership of energy, including:

• Reaching Net-Zero and the Crucial Role of Public Ownership
• Power, Class and “Just Transition”
• A Proposal for 2020 Mobilization

The full conference report is now available to read here.

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.

The Global Labour University (GLU) Online Academy is launching a new online course on global supply chains.

‘Towards Decent Work in Global Supply Chains’ will be launched on 14th November and will run in a tutored phase until 18 December 2019.

The course will question:

• Which factors and actors have influenced the emergence of global supply chains?

• What are the root causes of the violations of workers’ rights in global supply chains?

• What politics and strategies are needed to ensure work with dignity?

The course will give an overview of the main drivers of the global supply chains as well as the impact of supply chains on development. Participants will be exposed to  the main issues regarding working conditions and workers’ rights in global supply chains. It will help also give an understanding of the governance framework, regulatory measures aimed at improving working conditions and workers’ rights and labour’s strategies to ensure decent work.

The course will be structured around four chapters:

1. Global supply chains: Main drivers and the impact on development
2. Working conditions and workers’ rights in GSCs: Main decent work deficits
3. Regulatory framework for respecting workers’ rights in GSCs
4. Labour strategies for decent work in GSCs

The course will feature Manuela Tomei of the ILO, Catelene Passchier of the ILO Workers’ Group, Sharan Burrow of the ITUC and leading academics from different fields, such as Praveen Jha, Mark Anner, Markus Krajewski, Mike Fichter and Stefanie Lorenzen.

You can enrol for the course here.

The GLU Academy website aims to be a “virtual campus” for debating ideas for social justice and a fairer globalization. It offers an opportunity for trade unionists to learn with and from each other in a global network, combining theory with practical skills for collaboration and action.

On 28th September 2019, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) will be hosting union representatives and allies from around the world and across the United States in New York during “Climate Week” for a one-day international conference on ‘The Green New Deal, Net-Zero Carbon, and The Crucial Role of Public Ownership.‘

The international conference will bring together 40 labour unions, alongside key allies to work towards a comprehensive reclaiming of energy systems to public ownership and democratic control, and to reform and “de-marketize” existing public energy companies, in order to reverse current energy consumption and emission trends. The full programme is available here.

The event will follow a strategy meeting of union representatives hosted by TUED in New York City on September 26th and 27th.

The event will be live streamed on the Murphy Institute Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MurphyInstituteCUNY/

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.

Young people have been mobilising for global climate action. They have been organising demonstrations around the world, demanding action from governments under the banner ‘Youth Strike 4 Climate.’ 

On 20th September 2019, young people all over the world called on adults to join them as part of a global day of action for the climate – three days before the UN emergency climate summit being held in New York.

Together young and old climate activists, trade unionists and workers came together to support the Global Climate Strike. Led by schoolchildren, they took to the streets in hundreds of cities around the world in a historic protest of the global inaction around climate change.

Over 2,500 events were organised across 163 countries on all seven continents. It is estimated that over 4 million people participated in the strikes worldwide.

Fellow trade unionists across the world spoke out in support of the  Global Climate Strike. Trade Unions for Energy Democracy have gathered together statements of union support and actions in support of the youth-led calls for Global Climate Action.

See pictures from the Manchester Climate Strike below.

The Global Labor Institute Paris is organizing, with the support of ReAct and the Foundation for Human Progress, its second International Inter-Trade Union School.

For three days, more than 100 trade union representatives, researchers and activists from civil society are invited to engage in a collective reflection on the theme

Trade unionism and citizen mobilizations: how to decompartmentalize the struggles?

This meeting aims to provide a friendly environment for sharing stories of innovative trade union experiences, tools and practices implemented in different countries.

The event will take place on 7, 8 and 9 October 2019 at the Bergerie de Villarceaux in Ile-de-France.

On July 9-10, 2019, Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED) unions and allies in the UK came together in Manchester for a two-day working meeting. Titled Energy Transition and Economy-Wide Decarbonisation, the TUED meeting carried forward recent discussions on how unions and close allies can work with the Labour Party to shape its commitments on extending public control over the power sector, and the Party’s strategy for decarbonisation. The event built on discussions at the previous year’s TUED meeting in Sheffield, England.

Participants included representatives from 15 UK trade union bodies, Labour Party staff and advisors working around energy, transport, and community organizing, and more than 20 close allies from research, policy advocacy and campaigning organizations in the UK and beyond. The full program is available here, and the list of attendees is here.

Read about the meeting here.

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.