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.
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.
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 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.
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.
GLI Manchester is offering three weekend courses in 2015, open to trade union activists, staff and others interested in the international dimension to trade unionism. Each course may be taken alone, or participants may wish to attend all three. Every course involves top-line contributors and discussion leaders from around the world. Download the GLI 2015 Weekend Courses brochure here.
Course titles and dates are as follows:
27-29 March 2015:
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION MOVEMENT
24-26 April 2015:
INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION ORGANISING
5-7 June 2015:
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES FOR TRADE UNION RENEWAL
The courses are designed for trade union activists and others interested in the international dimension to trade unionism. Each course is based on discussion, group work, and practical exercises and will be held at Northern College, Barnsley.
Young activists are particularly encouraged to apply, and GLI strives to have a 50:50 gender balance on all courses.
The Global Labour University (GLU) is inviting trade unionists and labour activists to apply to its Masters in “Labor and Global Workers’ Rights” at PennState University in the United States and “Labour Policies and Globalisation” at University of Kassel and Berlin School of Economics and Law in Germany.
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 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.
The deadlines for application are:
PennState University, State College, Pennsylvania, United States of America 01 February 2015
Contact: Patricia Everhart at pxm205(at)psu.edu
Kazakh police in Zhanaozen (Image: Campaign Kazakhstan)
To commemorate the third anniversary of the Zhanaozen killings of 16 December 2011, the film Zhanaozen: the unknown tragedy (directed by Yulia Mazurova and shown at the 2013 GLI Summer School) has now been made available online.
The 30-minute documentary includes film of the police attack that the authorities wanted to hide, interviews with oil workers whose strike was ended by the massacre (at least 16 killed and 60 wounded) and scenes from the court in which activists were jailed. The film makers have asked supporters to distribute the link widely. Denis Bilunov, who worked on the film, said: “Thank you for the efforts you have made before. Since March 2013 screenings with public discussions took place in important venues: Helsinki, Berlin, Moscow, Warsaw, Kiev, Brussels, London, Geneva and Milan.”
You can view the English language version on Vimeo here:
It should be noted that one of the leaders of the workers’ strike in Zhanaozen, Roza Tuletaeva, who was detained, tortured and sentenced to seven years imprisonment for her involvement in the strike, was released on November 25th from the penal colony where she was incarcerated. This is a great victory, however the fight for justice for those murdered by the police in 2011 goes on.
If you would like to request printed copies of the GLI Manchester brochure, or of our one-page leaflet, please contact gli-uk[at]global-labour.net. Please note that we only have a limited number of printed copies available.
We’re pleased to announce that the GLI Summer School Discussion Paper: Key Issues and Questionsis now available to download. We hope that this paper will provide ample material to fuel the ongoing debates of the GLI international summer schools. The paper is based on the discussions held at the 2013 Summer School.
