GFTU BGCM 2019 Minutes

Because we are going to have a gap, I suppose I should say, with Dave Ward

not coming today, we might bring some of the motions that are scheduled for

tomorrow forward, so just to put you on guard for that do make sure that we

come in on time. Doug was on a very important mission there. He has just

found out that the tea and coffee is now ready, so let’s take 20 minutes,

everybody, and then come back. Thank you. (Applause)

The meeting adjourned for tea

THE PRESIDENT: Welcome back, everybody. I hope you are suitably refreshed

now. We are going to carry on to the culture section. The report is in the green

tab in the booklet, it is on page 28, the culture section there. I will just briefly

introduce it. I did say quite a bit yesterday about the value of culture and the

value of culture in our movement. It goes across it. The trade unions

themselves have a terrific cultural heritage. Just look at the displays of the

banners and the literature and everything and go to the People’s History

Museum in Manchester, it is magnificent, some of the stuff that is on display.

The unions also have a history of commissioning works of literature, works of

art, works of music, the rich catalogue expressing, I suppose, the aspirations of

the people that we represent, the working people, expressing it through song

and through dance and through theatre is a massive tradition in our movement

and the GFTU has been trying to encourage it and take it forward. I did give

that quote yesterday which I think is great, “Bring on the rebels, the ripples from

pebbles” and that is a very good introduction to Chris Jury who put together our

Liberating Arts Festival, so, Chris, you are welcome to give a report on that.

(Applause)

GFTU CULTURAL WORK AND LIBERATING ARTS FESTIVAL

CHRIS JURY: In about 2014 Doug had a meeting with some arts practitioners,

including Townsend Productions and Banner Theatre, and they had been

working on a sort of GFTU approach to culture and that led to the Trade Union

Arts Day in 2016 which was a success. There were about 25 trade unionists,

affiliates of the GFTU there, and we discussed art and culture in relation to the

trade union movement for a day. Then in the January we decided whether we

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