The Spirit of ’72: Morning Star Spring Conference
The lessons of the Clyde Shipbuilders in the 70's not only echo through time, but can be used today.
Upcoming event:
The Spirit of ‘72: Scottish Morning Star Spring Conference
Sunday 10 April
12 noon to 3.30 p.m.
The coming year looks set to pose unparalleled challenges: levels of inflation that will cut deep into living standards, reduced availability of basic services and, most likely, increasingly difficult employment conditions. Back in 1971 it was much the same. Yet by 1972 a united working class movement had defeated the Tory’s anti-trade union legislation, forced a U turn on industrial closures and seen the miners and other workers secure wage increases that maintained living standards. This conference seeks to assess the current challenges and how they can be met. It will hear a ‘state of the movement’ opening from the new Director of the Institute of Employment Rights, Ben Sellers, and will then hear a series of assessments of how we can defend our collective rights, how trade union and communities can win when they unite, how protecting the environment and protecting ourselves must go together and the demands the movement needs to advance politically if the Scottish parliament and Scottish councils are to have the democratic power and authority they need.
Chair: Lynn Henderson
Session 1 12.00
Defending our collective rights
Ben Sellers
Tom Morrison
Jennifer McCarey
Session 2 12.50
Trade unions and community solidarity
Susan Galloway
Andrea Bradley
Lyn Marie O’Hara
1.30 break
Session 3 1.45
Protecting the environment – Protecting families
Chris Mitchell & Barry McAreavey Cleansing Stewards GMB
George Lavery Living Rent
Stevie Dillon Unite
Session 4 2.40
Parliaments, Policy and the Working Class
Dave Moxham
Ben Lunn
Katrina Faccenda
By Zoom:
Who is speaking:
Lynn Henderson is a senior officer of PCS,
Tom Morrison is Secretary of Clydebank TUC
Jennifer McCary is Secretary of Glasgow TUC.
Susan Galloway speaks on behalf of Get Glasgow Moving
Andrea Bradley is a senior officer of the teaching union EIS
Lyn Marie O’Hara leads the equal pay battle in Glasgow City Council.
Chris Mitchell and Barry McAreavey are GMB stewards in Glasgow Cleansing who helped lead the successful battle to ensure that cleansing workers and Glasgow residents secured a safer and cleaner environment – and did so along with George Lavery and local tenants
within Living Rent.
Stephen Dillon is a senior officer for Unite the Union who will speak on the rights
of young workers in construction and what is needed if housing is to match environmental needs.
Dave Moxham is Deputy General Secretary of the Scottish Trade Union Congress with particular responsibility for Trades Union Councils and community campaigning
Ben Lunn is Chair of North Lanarks TUC and a member of Scottish Regional Committee of the Musicians Union
Katrina Faccenda is Chair of Scottish Labour Campaign for Socialism.
Join the conference via Zoom here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83130712280
