AGENDA
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WORD
0F MOUTH
‘Apart, possibly, from a few bloody noses in Rose Street after losing to England, we Scots were graceful in defeat.‘
Daily Record columnist Tom Brown has the final unbiased word on the Rugby World Cup.
‘I was never attached to power or valuables. I have no attachment to worldly things.‘
Imelda Marcos knows that, if the shoefits. . .
“I thought that he was very loud and I suppose I just remembered him as the bloke on Tiswas who ate condensed milk sandwiches, and I didn’t think that was attractive.‘ Dawn French proves that, at least in the case ofhusband Lenny Henry, it's not always love at first sight.
‘ln previews we asked them which movies had offered them a satisfactory resolution and the reply was always Ghost or Home Alone.‘ Independent filmmaker John Sayles reveals the problems of dealing with American cinema audiences.
‘A full stomach leaves a singer with insufficient room to depress the diaphragm and can also produce a situation of belching which, as well as being embarrassing, will interrupt the tone.‘
Willard White describes the perils of the peckish opera singer.
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4'I‘he List-8: i 1 Novelist—{eri99i
State of the unions
I As Glasgow prepares for its second Trade Union Week, Thom Dibdin talks to STUC General Secretary Campbell Christie about how the Trade Union movement is shaping up for the 19905.
he Trade Union movement has had a bad time of it over the last decade, what with Orgreave, new legislation and an
to do with fat old men meeting at ailing seaside resorts than the guardianship of fair deals for workers.
In an attempt to raise the profile ofthe
movement, the Scottish Trades Union Congress i is holding a week ofTrade Union activities in
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Glasgow, 9-16 November. Although it is the second such week, you would be forgiven for having missed the first, as it coincided with the altercation within the Conservative Party which lead to the demise of Prime Minister Thatcher.
‘This year we would put up with John Major going as well,’ Campbell Christie, general secretary of the STUC comments wryly. ‘The whole idea of the week is to celebrate the links between the Trade Union movement and the City of Glasgow. It is an opportunity to explore issues such as peace, disarmament, training and unemployment, and to highlight Glasgow’s history of internationalism.‘
image in the public‘s eye which has more
‘Many young people are in the peripheral workforce where they have very poor conditions, no safeguards against being sacked, no pension rights and no sick pay provision.’
The varied programme includes conferences, seminars, a season of films at the GFT, exhibitions at the People‘s Palace and drama and music at the Arches Theatre — all of which sounds very interesting, but do Trade Unions really have anything to offer modern youth?
Christie has to take a deep breath at the audacious naivety of the question before pointing out that there are more young people being exploited in employment today than there were 50 years ago. ‘We have a two-tier society in employment,’ he explains. ‘Many young people are in the peripheral workforce where they have very poor conditions, no safeguards against being sacked, no pension rights and no sick pay provision.
‘The Trade Union Movement is depicted by the present government as being irrelevant to the needs ofordinary people. The structure of industry has shifted away from heavy manufacturing to much more service-orientated. small workplaces where the management tries to keep out the unions. What we are attempting to do is to send a message to these people saying here‘s the Trade Union Movement, come along and meet us and talk to us; we have something to offer you.’
But the Trade Union movement goes further than recruiting workers to help secure better conditions, as the presence on the programme of several events around the issue of racism points
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‘No Pasaran!‘: exhibition on the labour
movement and the Spanish Civil War allhe People's Palace. out. “Racism and xenophobia are becoming a major issue, which in a recession becomes an i even greater problem,’ says Christie. “Minorities i throughout history have been blamed for the economic problems of the majority, so certainly racism and sexism are two issues which we are featuring in the week.‘
Nor is the movement‘s involvement in cultural activities new found, Christie points out. ‘Most people do not know that it was the Trade Union movement that initiated the event that became
‘It is an opportunity to explore issues such as peace, disarmament, training and unemployment, and to highlight Glasgow’s history of internationalism.’
Mayfest. Our main activity is still the day to day protection of health and safety and working conditions ofworkers in the workplace, but our interests stretch from the future governance of Scotland and the development of Scottish art and culture.‘
A programme of events during Trade Union Week can be obtained from Mike J ones, S TU C, 16 Woodlands Terrace, Glasgow G3 61)F(041 332 4946). Details of certain events are contained in the relevent listings sections of this issue. An Open Forum on Racism and Fascism takes place on Sat
i 16 Nov atthe Central Hotel, Glasgow.