Hosted by the Sindicato de Choferes de Camioneros the event brought together activists from 13 countries and 28 ITF unions from all transport sectors, who spent a packed week finding ways to strengthen unionism and secure victories for workers and their families.
Campaigning and organising were at the core of the event, with participants identifying decision-makers and targets, and preparing actions plans for implementation on return to their unions. They also explored how to build alliances and develop networks. Practical workshops on using digital tools and communications techniques delivered a first for this type of event, a lively blog packed with interviews, images and reports that were all created by the participants. See it here
Guest speakers included representatives from the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo – the organisation that traces children stolen and illegally adopted during Argentina's Dirty War – and the Chilean student movement. Topics covered included: the importance of making alliances and working with social movements; the economic crisis, neoliberalism and the impact on workers in Latin America; and the role of the union movement in addressing climate justice, gender and youth work, and in combating HIV/AIDS and the stigma that surrounds it. For a snapshot of the programme and speakers see
ITF Americas Education coordinator Emiliano Addisi commented: “We are all leaving with methodologies and tools to strengthen activism and participation in our unions and, importantly, with renewed energy and commitment to the cause. The phrase we learnt from our hosts sums up the ITF summer school, "United we’re strong, organised we’re invincible". We’d like to thank the ITF unions in Argentina for all their support with this great event.”
You can see images of the summer school here and filmed interviews here
