johninnit

Today is, depending on where you’re standing, WDDW, WFMA or JMTD. It’s a great new initiative from the ITUC in Brussels, who have decided that to campaign on labour rights in an age of globalisation, you need to take the campaign itself global. This means drawing the links between what makes work work in many different situations, and showing how decent work is the only sure way out of poverty in developing countries, and for justice and equality in the developed world. (more…)

(When not out voting that is…)

The Union Island project (to build a home for international unionists in Second Life - or Second LifeTM to its friends) launches formally on 1 May, with a big Virtual May Day shebang. Events on the day are going to range from plain-and-simple parties to focused help sessions for reps and organisers. (more…)

Sure you love being a trade unionist, but if you’re the type who’s ever thought it might be *even* nicer to be a trade unionist on a private mediterranean island, with lovely views, free beer and the superpower of flight, this might just be one for you.

Come join the fun on Union Island, the movement’s new resort in virtual world Second Life. Okay, you can’t actually get in just yet (in the manner of the best foreign holidays, the accommodation is still being built), but you can look at the piccies and sign up for the user group, to get notified of developments and have your 4pworth on how it’s going. The site is at www.slunions.org (more…)

Greetings earthlings from the world’s first virtual reality picket line. It’s spread over a huge are of IBM corporate campus in virtual world Second Life. I’ve seen quite a lot of people, flown around some fun places, and had a chat to some nice IBM staff who were clearing up the 80 foot “Oi IBM, No!” sign I made for their sandbox. (more…)

Italian union members at IBM are taking a novel form of action, to highlight their current dispute over pay cuts. Later this month, they’re planning on mounting the world’s first virtual reality union demo, in trendy 3D world Second Life.

IBM put great stock in their lovely corporate headquarters in Second Life, which makes them a a good target for a virtual campaign, publicising the dispute to IBM customers and clients visiting SL. The novelty angle too should get lots of publicity for the dispute.

The action is going to take place, flash mob style, at a currently secret time, date and place. If you’d like to join the picket in solidarity with the IBM workers, you can sign up to the mailing list at the UNI Global website (which also has a helpful “absolute beginners’ guide” to using Second Life), and they’ll keep you in touch.

Then pop over to the UNI virtual office to pick up your kit (also available at Tigmoo Corner and several other union Second Life hangouts). The kit has a virtual T-shirt for you to wear, virtual banners for you to wave, a giant rotating fish for you to… well, I’m not sure what that’s for, but I hope it’ll become apparent later, and instructions on what to do next.

Should be a fun event to get involved in (for union webby trainspotters like me), and an interesting development in global solidarity. Great if you speak some Italian I guess, but no worries if you don’t - there should be a good number of people there from around the world, trades unionists, activists and international IBM employees. Indeed, this could be the first steps in building an international union network at IBM, from union members from this multinational employer’s locations all around the world.

Hope to see you there - if only because this is one union picket that definitely won’t get rained on!

UPDATE: Wagner James Au at the excellent New World Notes has a short interview on the action with union avatar UNIglobalunion Oh - the first virtual union press interview I’ve seen so far!