Trade Union and Global Citizenship conference

On Friday 29th April 2005, BPEC's Development Education sector held a conference in Hove Town Hall on Trade Unions and Global Citizenship. The conference was attended by 15 GCSE students from the Brighton Steiner School, and their teacher Hazel.

Morning

The day started with an introduction to BPEC, followed by a lively talk on the importance of trade unions in the UK and abroad.
The bulk of the morning was spent taking part in a simulation game called 'How PC is Your PC?', about the electronics industry in Guadalajara, Mexico and the labour rights organisation CEREAL. The students were asked to sit down if they had tattoos, any relatives involved in politics, or were girls who had boyfriends! This highlighted the difficulty of getting a job in a Mexican factory, where they would then, if successful, have to work on a monotonous assembly line for up to 12 hours a day, standing up, without speaking to anybody, only earning an average of £8 a day.
The main game illustrated the dilemmas that workers face between keeping their jobs and demanding better pay and conditions. The students had to decide whether to join a meeting of the labour rights organisation CEREAL. Everything in the game, including the factory rules and conditions, was based on reality.
The game was followed by a lively debriefing session in which the students agreed that the issues raised were not simply limited to Mexico, but were global concerns. They discussed what can be done, including writing to computer manufacturers demanding information on their workers' rights.

Afternoon

After lunch was an informative yet harrowing workshop with Justice for Columbia, focusing on labour rights and human rights abuses in Columbia. The students responded in a mature and sensitive manner.

Feedback

The students' feedback was very positive. Sam felt that the day “made a lot of stuff clearer in my mind and makes me want to be more active in stuff.” Jared realised that trade unions are “a lot more important than I first thought, they are certainly a vital part of the fight for justice over many different issues.” Gala said, “It has made me even more aware of how important it is to know what our government is doing.” Hazel commented that the day had managed to make an otherwise dull topic understandable and enjoyable, with informative presentations pitched at the right level. The students requested topics for future conferences, including fair trade and trade justice, recycling, environmental disasters such as Bhopal, ethical consumerism, poverty in Africa, and issues surrounding streetkids, which is a really positive outcome.