A Union and Community Summer School, Winning Our Rights, will be held over December 10-11 at Melbourne Trades Hall.
Most left political traditions will take part in the school, which aims to strengthen unity on issues for which there is agreement.
The approach will be one of problem-solving. To usefully tackle the big challenges confronting the union movement — such as the fight against anti-union laws and the struggle for a sustainable economy — it begins by setting out the concrete questions these challenges pose to unions and labour movement activists.
Small groups of union activists with experience and knowledge in addressing such questions are developing presentations for the plenary sessions.
For example, for the opening plenary on unions and the climate emergency, the question “How to create climate jobs?” was put to Victorian Electrical Trades Union secretary Dean Mighell, Beyond Zero Emissions director Matthew Wright, Joe Montero from the Workers Solidarity Network and NSW South Coast Labour Council Secretary Arthur Rorris.
They will have a pre-school discussion, identify the main issues involved, and one of them will speak on this topic at the plenary.
The same process will be followed for other issues. Each plenary will begin with short statements from each issue-oriented group, allowing general discussion and concrete proposals to be built on their experience and reflection.
[Dave Kerin is one of the school organisers. For agenda and speaker information, or to register, phone 0412 484 094, email unionsummerschool@gmail.com or visit the Union and Community Summer School Facebook page.]