Overview
In USi’s first quarter (May-July) substantial progress has been made in building our audience base and building a social media profile that attracts visitors to our Trade Union message.
We are endeavouring to utilise every possible social media stream on a daily basis. This has resulted in some very encouraging figures particularly our website which is the hub of all our activities but also discovering new streams such as Snip.It. We have been able to in a very short space of time build a constituency of activists interested in what we have to say.
USi has been delighted so far to receive the support from amongst others Thompsons Solicitors, GMB, GFTU, Unite the Union, RMT and the BFAWU. We warmly receive the endorsement of these Unions but we have also gained support from Trade Unions across the world including the 1 million strong Brazilian metal workers (CNM/CUT).
The Athens Labour Centre (EKA) representing 140,000 workers. OLME (the Greek secondary school public teachers Union) representing 80,000 workers and we continue conversations with other Unions including Fisac/CGIL in Italy about how we gain endorsements from Trade Unions all over the world.
We have a reservoir of potentially millions of Trade Unionists through supportive Unions and our task is to nurture those relationships to put in place programmes of work and to generate activity.
Education
In response to approaches from Trade Unions and educational institutes USi is developing through the technology at our disposal to assist Trade Unions in facilitating educational courses online. This is a potentially very exciting development whereby part of a Union education course could be facilitated through USi in partnership with relevant Trade Union or Educational institute.
Part of this will expand the very successful web conferencing facility inbuilt within the website to invite education tutors and academics to host seminars or online discussions. It is clear that USi cannot do this in isolation but rather work in partnership to enhance and assist the excellent work that is already being done in the world of Trade Union education. We are fortuitous in that several members of the USi team are Trade Union learning reps and tutors.
USi has prioritised three flagship campaigns, those being Solidarity with Greece, Brick Kiln Workers in India and domestic workers. IN relation to Solidarity with Greece we have built a very strong relationship with Trade Unions in that country which is resulting in regular articles (in Greek and English), podcasts and web conferences featured on Youtube including Yanis Varoufakis and Costas Lapavitsas.