GLOBAL WORKPLACE

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: november/december 2011 :: RMTnews 30 B righton and Hove City branch presented long service awards to branch stalwarts recently including 40-year badges to Pat Kite and Roger Thick. Left to right in the picture are Mick Frost, Dwayne Jones, Martin Staker, Roger Thick, Brendon McGloughlin, Bryan Paul, Bob Crow, Pat Kite, Ron Jones and Garry Hassell. I recently attended the global workplace course in Doncaster and would like to urge all other activists to do the same. It was fair to say that all of us did not know exactly what the course content was except that it would highlight the struggles in other parts of the world. What we did not expect was to come away from the course with a desire to change the world, be it through highlighting to other activists the practices of trade unionists in other countries or with a plan to build international links with fellow trade unionist activists around the globe. The course is like no other, there is no right or wrong. Tutors Peter Pinkney and Graham Buchanan gave us the tools to think outside the box, in an effort to look further than any of us ever thought necessary. The course has been developed over a number of years by the national education officer Andy Gilchrist and instills a kaleidoscope of thoughts throughout the week of how you can make a difference globally, and how these global links can make a difference to us. We had many exercises based around international links including guest speakers, videos and a live conference call to a South African rank and file trade unionist. For those who read this article and fail to understand the importance of global links of this union and have an opinion of Crosby not Cuba or Havant not Havana you need to enroll on this course and see not only what it can do for you, but what you can achieve through global links. All in attendance have walked away with a realistic year plan of what and how they intend to achieve the goals set by themselves and we will be meeting up as a group to discuss developments and difficulties we have encountered during that time. We will report back to RMT News with an update. The next course will take place next year on February 20, so get your form filled out now, because this is an opportunity to do a course like no other, that nobody else in the trade union movement is currently doing. BRIGHTON ROCKS RMT member Darren Proctor reports on a union course looking at globalisation GLOBAL WORKPLACE