LabourStart conference 2009
Next week, LabourStart will be holding a small, invitation-only conference in Washington DC at the headquarters of the AFL-CIO.
The conference will take place over the course of three days and will involve participants from the USA. Canada, Trinidad & Tobago, Australia, India, Finland, Switzerland and the UK.
We’ll be discussing a broad range of subjects including LabourStart’s news and campaigns, blogging, social networks (including UnionBook), podcasting, labour film festivals, labour book sales, union jobs boards, and much more.
We’re hoping to blog about the conference as it happens here, and welcome all LabourStart correspondents to follow the blog and post your comments. We promise to read out some of the comments at the event, as if you were there, so this is a wonderful opportunity for you to be involved — even if you can’t be in Washington.
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Le syndicalisme en Algérie n’a pas franchi le stade de l’amateurisme. Mis à part un nombre très réduit de syndicats autonomes qui tentent désespéramment à défendre les droits des travailleurs, la scène syndicaliste algérienne ne compte que des statuettes muettes, qui ne jouent finalement aucun rôle.
L’impuissance de certains syndicats, la corruption et le laxisme d’autre laissent la masse ouvrière algérienne sous la merci des patrons. Sans la précieuse aide de certaines organisations étrangères tel que Labourstart, beaucoup d’injustices auraient passé sous silence.
Sans l’aide de son réseau d’information syndicale, mon problème avec la multinationale Compass Groupe n’aurait jamais été aussi bien médiatisé à l’échelle internationale. C’est grâce à son service d’actualité en ligne que ma voix s’est faite entendre par différentes organisations syndicales à l’étranger. Sa compagne d’action syndicale, outil de pression sur le groupe en question m’a été, en outre, d’un grand apport.
Labourstart est le trait d’union des plus efficaces dans le monde syndicaliste. Son service d’actualité est juste suffisant pour s’informer, s’exprimer et soutenir d’autres causes.Le concept de créer un espace susceptible de réunir en son sein les syndicats su monde entier est à saluer.
A tort celui qui pense que le 21ème siècle est celui des droits et des libertés. La mondialisation, le libéralisme sauvage et la corruption font reculer même les acquis les plus évidents des droits de la classe ouvrière. Prôner le retour au socialisme, comme le font certains économistes notamment après le déclenchement de la crise financière suivie de la crise économique en cette première décennie des années 2000, s’avère presque insensée. Toutefois, l’antidote à tous ces maux qui rongent les droits des travailleurs dans les quatre coins de la planète ne peut être autre qu’un mouvement syndicaliste bien fort, et surtout agissant à l’échelle mondiale.
Puisqu’on est à l’aire de la mondialisation, et pour suivre le court, il serait plus indispensable de mondialiser aussi le mouvement syndical. Quel est donc le rôle qu’est en mesure de jouer des syndicats locaux ou nationaux au sein d’une économie planétaire ? Ce, explique clairement l’importance de développer des organisations comme Labourstart, capables d’agir sur un plan international.
Mon cas est un argument éloquent sur la nécessité de développer de telles organisations. Je travaillais dans une multinationale implanté dans plus de 80 pays de part le monde. Comment aurais-je pu transmettre mon message à la société mère implanté au Royaume-Unis ou à d’autres syndicats étrangers sans l’aide du service d’information internationale qu’est celui de Labourstart ? Sans ce concept d’action syndicaliste sans frontières rien n’aurait été fait.
Yassine Zaid
syndicaliste Algérie
Greetings to the LabourStart Conference from Trinidad and Tobago. Sorry I cannot be with you.
The excellent work LabourStart does in maximising the use of the internet and IT for the benefit of the labour movement is vital. I know that this Conference will be another boost in the work.
Have a good Conference.
A Babelfish (sorry) translation into English of Yacine Zaid’s post above:
The trade unionism in Algeria did not cross the stage of amateurism. Put aside a very reduced number of autonomous labor unions which désespéramment try to defend the rights of the workers, the Algerian scene trade unionist counts only dumb statuettes, which do not play finally any part.
The impotence of certain trade unions, the corruption and the laxism of other leave the Algerian working mass under the thank you of the owners. Without the invaluable help of certain foreign organizations such as Labourstart, much from injustices would have overlooked. Without the assistance of its information network trade-union, my problem with the multinational Compass Group as well would never have been médiatisé with the international scales.
It is thanks to its service of topicality on line that my voice was made understand by various trade-union organizations abroad. His/her partner of union action, tool of pressure on the group in question was to me, moreover, of a great contribution. Labourstart is the hyphen of most effective in the world trade unionist. Its service of topicality is just sufficient to get information, to be expressed and support other causes.
The concept to create a space likely to join together in its centre the trade unions known whole world is to be greeted. Wrongly that which thinks that the 21st century is that of the rights and freedoms. Universalization, wild liberalism and corruption make move back even the most obvious assets of the rights of the working class. To preach the return to socialism, as do it certain economists in particular after the release of the financial crisis followed by the economic crisis in this first decade of the years 2000, proves almost foolish. However, the antidote with all these evils which corrode the rights of the workers in the four corners of planet cannot be other than a movement quite strong trade unionist, and especially acting on a worldwide scale. Since one is with the surface of universalization, and to follow the court, it would be more essential of mondialiser also the trade union movement.
Which is thus the role which is able to play of the local or national trade unions within a planetary economy? This, explains the importance clearly to develop organizations like Labourstart, able to act on an international plan.
My case is an eloquent argument on the need for developing such organizations. I worked in a multinational established in more than 80 countries of share the world. How could I have transmitted my message to the parent company established in the United Kingdom or other foreign trade unions without the assistance of the service of international information which is that of Labourstart? Without this concept of action trade unionist without borders nothing would have been done.
Please, Derek, delete that last comment. Isn’t it better to let people wonder what was said than to publish such crap?
However, it does lend weight to a point I tried to make before, that trade unionism is a translation speciality as is “business”, “aviation”, etc. which should be higher on LabourStart’s (and in general, the movement’s) priority list.