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Join Labour Solidarity Conference on Palestine
Please find below the latest conference agenda for ‘Brick by Brick: Building Labour Solidarity with Palestine’, to be held May 30 - 1 June 2008 in Toronto. This conference is aimed at labour movement activists across North America to discuss ways to strengthen our Palestine solidarity work in trade unions and workplaces.
We are pleased to confirm the attendance of Manawell Abdul Al, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, and Paul Loulou Chery, Secretary of the Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH). Further international guests will be announced as they are confirmed.
If you haven’t yet registered - please visit: http://www.caiaweb.org/labourcommittee to download and complete a registration form (available in English and French) and return to labour@caiaweb.org
Conference posters are also available for download at http://www.caiaweb.org/labourcommittee
If you would like a small bundle of conference promotional postcards and posters for your workplace, union hall or local, please contact labour@caiaweb.org and we will mail some to you.
We look forward to seeing you in Toronto!
BRICK BY BRICK CONFERENCE AGENDA as of April 23, 2008
Venue: Steelworkers Hall, 25 Cecil St, Toronto ON. West of Spadina Ave, South of Bloor. FRIDAY MAY 30TH 7 PMÂ Â 9 PM Public Forum: Palestinian Workers and International Solidarity This forum will hear speakers discuss the current situation of Palestinian workers and the efforts to build a movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions both here in Canada and further abroad.
Speakers include: Manawell Abdul Al, a member of the executive committee of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions, Paul Loulou Chery, Secretary of the Confederation of Haitian Workers (CTH), and local trade union activists.
SATURDAY MAY 31ST 9:30 AM Â 11:00 AM Plenary Session:Â Understanding Palestinian Labour in the Middle East
The last few years have witnessed dramatic transformations in the economies of the Middle East. Under the eyes of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, industrial zones have been established in Jordan, Egypt and the Occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip that bring together Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Jordanian investors to exploit a cheap Arab workforce. What is the role of Palestinian and Arab labour in the broader economies of Israel and the Middle East? How should we understand the struggle for solidarity with Palestinian workers as part of a general struggle against neo-liberalism in the region?
11:00AM Â 11:30 AM Coffee and Tea Break
11:30 AM Â 1 PM
Plenary Session: Where are we at? Activist reports from cities
The aim of this session is to give a birds-eye view of labour movement work across the continent, highlighting successes, lessons, opportunities, weaknesses. Speakers from Toronto, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal and elsewhere will give brief (5 minute) presentations covering a variety of campaigns and unions. Longer written summaries will be distributed at the plenary. Most of the session will consist of open discussion among plenary participants.
1 PM Â 2:30 PM Lunch
2:30 PM Â 4 PM Concurrent Workshops:
a) Solidarity in the Workplace: Unions 101
How do unions work? What are the different union structures? How do you go about getting resolutions passed? What is the point of a union resolution on BDS? How do you get active in a committee? Everything you were always too afraid to ask about unions and more!
b) Building an Effective BDS Campaign What does the BDS strategy aim to achieve and why is it successful? How can we see BDS as a component of all our work: as an educational and outreach tool? When should we put forward resolutions? How do they relate to building a grassroots base of support in the labour movement? As rank-and-file activists, how do we relate to union leaderships?
c) Dealing with Backlash What are the arguments that the Zionists use to attack resolutions? What kind of backlash should we expect? How can we utilize these attacks to push forward the broader public awareness around Palestine? How can we pre-empt these attacks and extend solidarity once they do occur?
d) Developing and Delivering Educationals What types of materials are available for labour activists to use in education work around Palestine? We will discuss how to run workshops, train-the-trainer sessions, and dealing with disruption. Generic presentation materials will be available for all conference attendees to take home.
4:00 PM Â 4:30 PM Coffee and Tea Break
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Plenary Why is international solidarity important to re-building a fighting labour movement?
In the current era of corporate and government attacks, declining union membership, inter-union disputes and a narrow vision of ‘business unionism’ what can we do to reverse these attacks? The panel will focus on the importance of incorporating a range of social struggles, particularly international solidarity, into our vision of a fighting, progressive unionism. Speakers will address contemporary issues, and examine organizing models used in past labour movement campaigns around South Africa and Latin America.
7 PM onwards Dinner and Social
SUNDAY JUNE 1ST
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Concurrent Workshops:
a) Making and Taking Space: Unions 201 How do we make and take space in unions? How do we deal with attempts to silence us and contain the issues? What types of barriers do we encounter and how can we build effective alliances? This workshop will include practical strategies and tools to help in building and taking space in our unions.
b) Building an Effective BDS Campaign (as above)
c) Dealing with Backlash (as above)
d) Developing and Delivering Educationals (as above)
11:30 AM Â 1PM Closing Strategy Session
The final session will look at how we can continue to strengthen our networks and campaigns across the continent. This will be a space to discuss specific proposals and concrete joint actions on how to move forward as a movement.
Matthew Brett is the Canadian Dimension weblog manager. The views expressed on this blog do not necessarily represent his own. Read more by Matthew Brett.
One workshop is not listed above…
e) How to shoot yourself in the foot
The labour movement in the Palestinian areas consists of about 6 guys, who meet every 2nd Wednesday in Ramallah, sit around, drink coffee and always ask (in Arabic) WHO WAS THE IDIOT THAT SAID WE’D BE BETTER OFF IF WE DID SUICIDE TERROR BOMBINGS IN ISRAEL?
The very first thing that happened even before the separation wall went up, was that the demand for Arab labour in Israel, not to mention competitive manufactured goods and agricultural products PRODUCED by Palestinians dropped to just about zero because of the security problems. So now, instead of supplying labour, skilled labour and finished products to the healthiest growing economy within a days’ (used to be minutes’)travel from home, Palestinian Arab workers have been replaced by labour imported from Thailand, Bulgaria, Albania, Nigeria etc.
To add to those woes, the Palestinians cheered on Saddam and have a glorious history of creating violent instability in Lebanon and Jordan, so are also unwelcome in Audi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt.
Gaza’s organized labour movement, if it even exists at all, are functionaries of the Hamas, and if that’s not bad enough, the 85%+ unemployment rate is crippling to labour all by itself. In 2005 when the Jews left, they left behind millions and millions of $$$ worth of hi-tech greenhouses and a profitable export industry. The greenhouses were trashed. What a smart idea that was!
Even if they were organized, the workers should push for a complete ceasefire by Hamas so that even the relief shipments could get delivered. And some semblance approaching normality could happen. But they’re countrymen choose to continue to shoot at Israel everyday, so until that changes they’re won’t be a labour shortage to lever positive social change for a very very very long time.
Oh and doing boycotts of Israel? That’s even smarter! Then the few people who get to work in the industrial zones won’t even have those paychecks to take home.
So let’s all jump on Comrade Brett and CAIA’s little red wagon today!
#1. Posted by Hugh on May 11th 2008 at 4:44am