All the union news that's fit to blog...
Dear Colleagues,
Yesterday at Ruskin College we held a memorial event to celebrate the life of Chris Wilkes, the Principal of Ruskin College who died unexpectedly on 18th March.
The event drew many current staff members, and a diverse body of ex-Rusk…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
As you will know I am toiling away on my doctoral thesis which focuses on activist learning and the role that the MA programme that I run at Ruskin College plays in this.
There have been hundreds of sources of material that I have be…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
The period spent at the GLI Summer School was wonderful – it provided an unsurpassed opportunity to hear from and debate with those at the frontline of some of the most important debates internationally of the future of organised labo…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
Just a brief post from the 2016 Summer School of the Global Labour Institute (GLI). Please follow the fascinating, thought-provoking programme via Twitter or Facebook or live…Read more…
Colleagues,
A very brief piece in advance of tomorrow’s historic vote. Although I am toiling on the thesis, and promised more ‘stuff’ related to it, I needed just to fling into a post two of the best pieces I have read recently which make the case for…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
I am at a stage where I can share a simple/basic description of how I am framing a key aspect of my thesis findings: embodied activism. I am going to distribute the link for this post to MA students and alumni (maintaining the spirit …Read more…
Colleagues,
Just a brief(ish) post from Warwick University library as I work on my doctoral thesis. I thought I’d write up some personal notes/reflections on what I consider a trade union education pedagogy to look and feel like.
This is partly becau…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
This is just a brief/short piece as I am now on sabbatical leave attempting to complete key parts/stage of my doctoral thesis. But I need to comment on my deep appreciation for the journalism of the Guardian journalist, David Beresfor…Read more…
Dear Colleagues,
I’m working hard on the draft literature review chapter of my doctoral thesis, and pleased to say that I am finding it particularly difficult to shape my writing into a coherent body of knowledge.
A community of practice: Students of…Read more…
Colleagues,
Fenella PorterI am very pleased to reproduce below an article by my colleague Dr. Fenella Porter, article which appears in today’s Morning Star, and which reflects her work on positing the College’s strategy around business for social chan…Read more…
Colleagues,
I have used the title of this post before, but am drawing on it again to write up some reflections following a particularly lively, thought-provoking weekend with the 2015 cohort of students of the BA in international labour and trade unio…Read more…
Colleagues,
I felt the need to get some thoughts onto paper – or least an electronic variant – as I transited between two different, but overlapping labour/social movement educational fora over the weekend. These were (and are), I argue, radical …Read more…
Colleagues,
This year marks the 40 anniversary of the epic Grunwick dispute. Working with Sundari Anitha (Lincoln University) and Wilf Sullivan (Race Equality Officer, TUC) Ruskin College will host a major, national event on 24th September to mar…Read more…
Colleagues,
I was very pleased to be with a group of Ruskin teachers and students this morning with one of the pickets of junior doctors at the John Radcliffe hospital. The striking medics were really pleased to be joined by the highly enthusiastic Ru…Read more…
Colleagues, I have found it incredibly difficult since the start of the new academic year to find the time to sit, reflect and write material for this blog. On the positive side this is largely because the volume and range of trade union education…Read more…
Colleagues,
Apologies for the absence of a recent post, but workload has kept me away from writing, and I have also had so many thoughts on what I’d like to write next, that it has stopped me from getting down to the business of writing itself
Colleagues, Can I please ask for your support for this important international campaign against Pepsi. Global snack and beverage giant PepsiCo is violating the rights of a courageous group of workers in West Bengal, India who formed a trade…Read more…
Colleagues,
To mark the end of the series of events at Ruskin which have celebrated the 30th anniversary of the 1984-85 miner’s strike, I’ve organised a screening of the hit film Pride for 16th October. The film unpicks the important role of the suppo…Read more…
Colleagues,
Just back from another tremendous weekend teaching at Ruskin, although this time it was made extra special as (a) the weekend uniquely brought together several BA ILTUS cohorts with MA ILTUS part-time students and (b) as well as bringing t…Read more…
Colleagues,
This post is aimed at MA ILTUS students (an amazing bunch of trade unionists!) coming to Ruskin College 12-13 September for the additional weekend prior to the start of the 2015-16 academic year.
The image below is taken from Hart (2005),…Read more…