“The workers’ movement has always been more than a protest, and at its best helps workers think clearly about strategy and political economy, and allows us to act in solidarity with workers who have come to the UK from elsewhere in the world.”
By The Ella Baker School of Organising and the Network for Social Change
It has been a momentous twelve months for the movement for workplace justice; we are seeking many strikes, substantial mobilisations, but not yet major breakthroughs. The Ella Baker School of Organising and the Network for Social Change are convening trade union and community organisers for the New Organising Conference, an opportunity for reflection, critique, and learning. We will celebrate the most effective workplace organising in the UK, find out about organising elsewhere in the world, and build new friendships and collaborations.
The strike wave has yet to solidify into a transformational rebalancing of power, and wages are still lagging behind inflation. The workers’ movement has always been more than a protest, and at its best helps workers think clearly about strategy and political economy, and allows us to act in solidarity with workers who have come to the UK from elsewhere in the world, and workers in other parts of the globe.
The conference takes place in Liverpool, over the weekend of 8–10 September and will include contributions from:
- FAB-1 Leicester Garment Workers
- Shavanah Taj (Wales TUC, General secretary)
- Claire Laycock (key whistleblower and founding member of #MeTU)
- Wilf Sullivan (former TUC race equality officer)
- Speakers from IWBG, UVW, ACORN and Organise!
- Ravi Subramanian (Unison West Midlands Regional Secretary)
- The team at Reel News, activist video collective.
- Holly Carter, who will perform ‘Don’t Mourn Organise’ her tribute to Joe Hill.
- Red Shoes Poster Archive
Join us to talk about the highs and lows of organising in public and private sector unions, large and small unions, old and ‘new’ unions. Help us critique and compare methods, strategies, and tactics in organising. There will be a wide range of people to talk to, and a lot of learning, cross-pollination, and practical considerations – this won’t be a series of lectures or a talking shop. Among other things we’ll be looking at the practice and strategy of:
- Law, casework and organising
- Organising migrant, platform, and isolated workers
- Beating the ballot thresholds
- Political education
- Unions and climate justice
- The conference operates on a ‘pay what you can afford’ basis. You can register and find out more here.
- You can contact The Ella Baker School of Organising and the Network for Social Change here for more information about the conference.
- You can follow The Ella Baker School of Organising and the Network for Social Change on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
