More than 25 members of the IGG gathered from February 13 to 16 to discuss the further development of the initiative. The high level of participation by active members from our industry is a clear sign of our growth over the past year and increasing involvement.
Especially for a nationwide structure where much of the work takes place online, such face-to-face meetings are an important opportunity to get to know each other as a union and community, build trust, and participate in shaping the organization of the industry.
We took the time to discuss our strategy for organizing CSA employees, creating a format for mutual assistance for trainees, and gaining an internationalist perspective for the IGG. Regionalization is also becoming increasingly relevant in order to establish responsive structures and grassroots groups in different locations. A concept for this, as well as the formulation of our own statutes, was therefore discussed with everyone.
In addition to the program items, we also spent a lot of time together. We were given a tour of a community-supported agriculture collective’s fields and organized a cabaret evening, which some of us used to share songs, poems, and stories about the struggles of the labor movement, union experiences, and the everyday lives of wage earners.
For us, culture, grassroots democracy, and community are essential components of union organizing that builds power from below and a new form of society.
Together, we move forward with questioning.