The CCU is held its online Labour School on Friday, June 18.

Our special guest speaker was Derek Blackadder, Canadian co-ordinator for LabourStart and a union activist for over 40 years, who presented on Global Labour Issues and Struggles: The pandemic’s impact on worker and trade union rights and what Canadian unions can learn from unions around the world.

Derek spoke about the plight of workers under COVID, and how trade unions and working people are fighting back against exploitation, growing inequality, wage stagnation and threats to working conditions, all of which have become worse since the beginning of the pandemic.

Derek also discussed the struggles of domestic workers, child workers and workers on the front line against COVID, and how Canadian workers and unions can learn some valuable lessons in how activists and unions are taking on large corporations and employers who only care about the bottom line.