Saturday, January 29th, 2011<\/p>\n
Registration 10. 30 for 11. 00 – 16.30<\/p>\n
Out of the Blue Centre,
\nDalmeny Street,
\nLeith
\nEdinburgh<\/p>\n
In both the UK<\/acronym> and Ireland today, the overwhelming majority of trade union leaders have signed up to social partnerships. These effectively reduce unions to a free personnel management service for the employers. However, the traditional Broad Left response of electing alternative leaders has shown itself unable to counter social partnerships. Indeed many current union leaders, who now accept social partnership, were themselves earlier Broad Left members. The third Global Commune event, jointly sponsored by the Republican Communist Network and the commune, asks the question – \u00a35 for full-time employed Panel followed by workshop sessions and follow up plenary<\/p>\n Allan is a member of the Republican Communist Network and the commune group. He was the convenor of Lothian Rank & File Teachers and involved in the three month long independent industrial action of Scottish teachers in the mid-70\u2019s. He later became the Chair of the first regional Anti-Poll Tax Union, which was formed in Lothian.<\/p>\n Alberto is a member of the Latin American Workers Association, UNITE and the IWW<\/acronym>. He is worker from Colombia who has been centrally involved in the campaigns of migrant workers cleaner in London. This culminated in an attempt to victimise him by the Swiss bank, UBS, which prompted a solidarity campaign. UNITE union officials tried to sabotage this, so Alberto has looked to the IWW<\/acronym> (which comes from an industrial unionist tradition) to organise cleaners.<\/p>\n Tommy is an organiser for the Independent Workers Union in Ireland. He is also the editor of Fourthwrite<\/cite>, a journal designed to promote debate amongst communists, socialists and republicans. Ireland was the first place in these islands where a government\/employer\/trade union social partnership was formed. The IWU<\/acronym> was created to organise workers opposing social partnership.<\/p>\n Mike comes from an autonomist tradition, writes for Counterinformation and is involved in the Autonomous Centre for Edinburgh (ACE<\/acronym>). Mike was a dedicated activist in the anti-poll tax struggle. ACE<\/acronym> has recently been providing support to the street cleaners employed by Edinburgh City Council. They have been involved in a longstanding dispute, hamstrung by local UNITE officials.<\/p>\n Stuart is a member of Permanent Revolution. He will be drawing on the experience of the Minority Movement in the early Communist Party to show possible lessons for today.<\/p>\n Patricia is a member of the IWU<\/acronym> and has been centrally involved in health workers struggles in Belfast. She has also been to Palestine to examine the health implications of the Israeli occupation. Paul is co-author of We Sell Our Time No More – Workers Struggles Against Lean Production in the British Car Industry<\/cite>. He has produced a short film, which will be shown. This shows examples of union organisation in the community, particularly in Japan.<\/p>\n Repeat workshops followed by plenary<\/p>\n There will be a chance to continue the discussion informally afterwards.<\/p>\n Further information can be had by contacting Allan Armstrong at:-<\/p>\nTrade unions – Are they fit for purpose?<\/q> A number of different approaches to organising workers will be discussed in workshops over the day.<\/p>\n
Cost<\/h3>\n
\n\u00a32 for others<\/p>\nFirst session 11.00 – 12. 30<\/h3>\n
1. Working within trade unions – the rank and file perspective – Allan Armstrong<\/h4>\n
2. Working with the IWW<\/acronym> – Alberto Durango<\/h4>\n
3. Building the Independent Workers Union – Tommy McKearney<\/h4>\n
4. Supporting workers from outside – an autonomist perspective – Mike Vallance<\/h4>\n
How do communists organise in trade unions? – Stuart King<\/h4>\n
Second Session 1.30 – 15.00<\/h3>\n
Community unionism – Should trade union membership be confined to employed workers? Patricia Campbell and Paul Stewart<\/h4>\n
Workshops<\/h4>\n
15.00 – 15.15 – break<\/h3>\n
Third Session 15.15 – 16.30<\/h4>\n