CONFIDENTIAL to the two of you:<br><br>I have just sent the following to our Administrator and President - thanks for your help. Our AGM is 13 April.<br><br>Best wishes,<br>Katherine<br> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>
from Katherine Peet <<a href="mailto:kmpeet@gmail.com">kmpeet@gmail.com</a>> <br> date 16 Mar 2008 15:12 <br> subject Re IFWEA for the AGM <br> <br>IFWEA conference 2007 and why stay in IFWEA.<br>
<br>The following excerpts (in italics) from the IFWEA conference and associated seminar may help explain why I recommend that we stay a member of IFWEA - basically as an act of solidarity with developments they are leading.<br>
<br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The IFWEA member in India who hosted the conference in December 2007 was thanked for their traditional welcome and acknowledged for their outstanding activities in informal economy organising, they were praised for the example they have set in the world in their fight against social exclusion and poverty.</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The keynote address focused on the current global economy and levels of unemployment, poverty, inequality and social deregulation. Emphasis was placed on the need for workers' education to promote decent work, solidarity, equality, peace and democracy along with alliances of trade unions, civil society organizations, NGO's and all local, regional and international forces in promoting a fairer society, decent work and decent life.</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Asia-Pacific region</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The regional delegate reported that the Asia-Pacific region has experienced some of the most significant challenges in the period under review. The labour movement as a whole has been under attack poised by neo-liberal corporate strategies and repressive political development.</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">The IFWEA office for the next year would be hosted by the LRS in South Africa and by 2009 a separate office at Community house in Cape Town.</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Seminar on Workers in the Informal Economy</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">This was held in association with the Conference.</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">A 4 year education plan was produced with the key priorities being:</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> *</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Political economy training around globalisation and its impact</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Informal work and the global economy</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Worker rights and human rights</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Building organisation - how, why, different models(include cooperatives)</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Developing skills for income generation</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Self organisation</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Organise for decent work</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> International conventions</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Role of the state (police, courts etc)</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Understanding trade union organisation: Principles and values</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Understanding the legislative environment</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Negotiation skills</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Common problems and how to overcome them</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Campaigning skills/strategies, including dealing with the media</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> Leadership/management training</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;"> Marketing information/skills</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">How is this being done in the United States?</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">There is a new economic education program that tries to help workers understand the impact of neo-liberal policies (we don't call them Neo-liberal, we call them the corporate agenda). This story is geared to American workers but in fact a version of this story could be developed for every country. This program is being delivered by top leaders as well as leaders and rank and file members from across the labor movement who have been trained to conduct classes. There are many versions.</span><br style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: italic;">Free trade, off shore work exploitation, privatization, deregulation and tax cuts for the wealthy, has caused economic instability. When what is needed is fair trade, rebuilding manufacturing, work justice, quality service, public investments and fair taxes from a good government..... By holding elected officials accountable and by demanding corporate accountability these issues can be checked and resolved.</span><br>
<br>In addition we need to be aware that this last conference produced a new IFWEA secretary Sahra Ryklief and president Susan Schurman - they are both great women - I have met them both. I am sure they will be interested in knowing what we are doing and that they will draw us in to the IFWEA agenda - for example the next phase of the IFWEA initiative to build a network of methodologies and resources We may be able to access them for our purposes.<br>
<br>Finally I would like to add that no other international organsiation brings together labour/worker educators in unions, NGOs and public sector organisations around the common mission of offering education for democracy building, human rights and poitical/economic consciousness raising. The current major emphasis on organising the informal economy and linking that to organising in the formal economies is a particular strategic direction that no other organisation is tackling, as far as I know.<br>
<br>Let's renew our membership.<br><br>Katherine<br><br>-- <br>87 Soleares Ave<br>Christchurch 8081<br>Phone 03 384 1281<br>Fax 03 384 6281 <br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 12/03/2008, <b class="gmail_sendername">Sahra Ryklief</b> <<a href="mailto:sahra@lrs.org.za">sahra@lrs.org.za</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
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<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Hi Katherine,</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">I'm Sahra Ryklief, the newly elected General Secretary. We met
in Belfast, at my first IFWEA conference in 1996. Just to add to what Sue
has given you, besides the Informal economy work, we also have a very active
global network of NGOs and trade unions co-ordinated by IFWEA affiliates
in South Africa; Peru and the Philippines who work together to build links
between trade unions, ngos and campaign groups on trade and human and labour
rights issues; and IFWEA is also in the second phase of building a network of
education institutions who are sharing methodologies and resources developed
through working with film and radio as a means of education. If WEA NZ is
interested in linking up with any of these networks I can give them the
details.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">We would also be interested in knowing what WEA NZ is doing, so
that we can draw it into any future liaisons or activities planned. In
April I will have a student assistant working with me for six months to develop
an online IFWEA database of the main activities of all its affiliates. In
recent years we have had a drop in resources to keep communications at optimum
level, so those organisations t hat have not been part of the active networks
have been sitting in the doldrums, as it were. Sue and I have set it as
our task to turn this around, not that we have any additional resources except
the affiliation fees, but maybe we can draw on our affiliates more than in the
past. Necessity is the mother of invention, is it not.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">So please do your best to keep WEA NZ in the fold, and also to
look at ways that we can draw on its participation and support, over and above
paying the affiliation fee, in the future.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">In solidarity</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(31, 73, 125);">Sahra Ryklief</span></p><span class="sg">
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<p><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;" lang="EN-US"> Sue Schurman
[mailto:<a href="mailto:schurman@dceo.rutgers.edu" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">schurman@dceo.rutgers.edu</a>] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> 11 March 2008 02:04 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Katherine Peet<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Sahra Ryklief<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: Please help me! This is confidential to you.</span></p>
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<p>Hi Katherine,<br><br>Of course I do remember you. It is nice to hear from
you and find out what you're doing. </p>
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<p>I don't fully understand the email that you forwarded.
Did the WEA of NZ just get a membership dues invoice from IFWEA?</p>
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<p>If so I can tell you that I was recently elected president
and a magnificent women from the Labor Research Service in South Africa was
elected General Secretary along with a good group on the Board. We are
very focused on building membership in IFWEA and, through rebuilding
membership, rebuilding our resources through which to do programming.</p>
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<p>I hope that we can persuade you and your organization to
remain affiliated as we undertake this task. Let us know what we can do
to convince your decision-makers on this point.</p>
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<p>At some point we hope to visit as many of the member
organizations as possible and invite member organizations to attend seminars
and so forth.</p>
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<p>Please stay in touch.</p>
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<p>best,</p>
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<p style="margin-bottom: 12pt;">Sue</p>
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<p>On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 11:27 PM, Katherine Peet <<a href="mailto:kmpeet@gmail.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">kmpeet@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</p>
<p>Hi Susan<br>
<br>
You won't remember me but I was deeply for several years and went with the
IFWEA de;legation to the Hamburg CONFITEA conference in 1997. Dan Gallin and
Aaron Barnea were around in those days.<br>
I know Karoly and linked with Jorma, SEWA in those times. I also know of you
through Rutgers.<br>
My contribution was in building links between Workers Education and NGOs
committed to Social Justice. SEWA was a particularly useful case study.<br>
I am still involved with our national WEA and would like to be able to keep us
in the IFWEA membership family.<br>
Do you have a bright idea about how to respond to the request I have had below?<br>
I will let our Administrator know that I will follow up befor our national
AGM in late March.<br>
I look forward to hearing from you!<br>
<br>
In solidarity<br>
Katherine Peet<br>
<br>
---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
<span>From: <b>FWEA Administrator</b> <<a href="mailto:admin@wea.org.nz" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">admin@wea.org.nz</a>></span><br>
<span>Date: 10 Mar 2008 16:06</span><br>
<span>Subject: FW: IFWEA 2008 Affiliation Fee</span><br>
<span>To: Katherine Peet <<a href="mailto:kmpeet@gmail.com" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">kmpeet@gmail.com</a>></span><br>
<br>
Hi Katherine, some news from IFWEA plus the sub invoice. In recent years we
have paid $500 NZ, about 167 pounds, would you make a recommendation to the
next GG meeting about payment?<br>
<br>
We hear very little from them, just about nothing about our region - would you
like to contact them re just what can we expect form the region, or I can - let
me know your preference please.<br clear="all">
<span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"></span></p></div></span></div></div></div></blockquote></div>-- <br>87 Soleares Ave<br>Christchurch 8081<br>Phone 03 384 1281<br>Fax 03 384 6281