GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

unions aware of their own history and the contribution that trade unions have

made to democratic reform, to progressive organisations and to contemporary

debates around equality in the workplace and more broadly in society and I am

hoping that by the next conference I attend related projects will have been seen

through to completion, we will have new funded projects which again are

bringing the trade union movement, the GFTU and academic historians

together, but also hopefully we will have a Labour Government in power which I

think most of us would like to see sooner rather than later. Thanks. (Applause)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Keith. Our final speaker in this debate

before we open it to the floor to talk about the youth work of the GFTU is Sarah

Woolley from the Executive Committee.

SIS SARAH WOOLLEY (Executive Committee): Thanks, John. For those of you that

know me and those of you that have attended the union building conferences

you will know that trade union education is a passion of mine and for the last

few years I have had the pleasure of being involved in organising the annual

youth festival weekend. Together with Charlotte Appleyard from Community,

Laura Bee from PCS and Danny McGowen from Nautilus we have taken on

board delegates’ feedback and developed the weekend into something we now

feel is fit for the future.

This year we have changed the name of the weekend. It is no longer a festival.

We felt that it presented the wrong image, as it is not just about music and

alcohol, but about learning and developing in the movement. We have,

therefore, rebranded it as the Young Members Development Weekend,

because that is exactly what it is. It is being held in November, Young Workers Month, at Quorn Grange hotel from 22 nd to 24 th , which is Friday to Sunday.

The weekend will cover many aspects of being a trade unionist, starting by

looking at the history of the movement, as it is vital that we know where we

come from and understand that, indeed, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

We will cover the importance of international solidarity, creative campaigning,

organising, politics, the impact of the media, the environment and much more.

But as well as that, it will help our young members and reps network with each

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