By Peter Waterman - Global Labor Charter Project
November 2009

INTRODUCTION

At the age of 73 it is something of an adventure for me to be hosted – for the first time in my life - by a Catholic labor studies center. I come from another labor tradition:

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Peter Waterman:

20 Papers on Workers, Women, Unions, International Solidarity, Communications and Culture.  See full text, pdf format.

Here are two very different draft reviews of two related books. I am making them available to the authors and to you in the hope of feedback that I might be still able to feed into one or other.   See text, pdf format.

This was the first World Social Forum (WSF) since the profound financial/industrial crisis of capitalism, late-2008, the consequent labour layoffs, and the desperate and extreme state measures to restore capitalism – largely by throwing obscene amounts of money at the financial institutions that were the immediate cause of the crisis.  See pdf. file

See more Waterman’s analysis

“The idea of a Global Labour Charter Movement comes out of both desperation and hope. The desperation is due to seeing the labour movement, in North, South, East or West, still on the defensive due to (despite?) the severe, multiple and continuing attacks delivered by contemporary capitalism. Not only has the union movement largely forgotten its early emancipator inspiration and utopian hopes. Even the old adage that ‘the best means of defence is attack’ seems unfamiliar to labour’s international leadership”. For the European Social Forum, Malmo, September 2008.  Source Netzwerk IT.    See full text.

Within the framework of the European Social Forum 2008, Peter Waterman analyzed the iniciatives put forward by trade unions and the labour agenda. In a special document, he develops critical opinions on the international union hegemons. Furthermore, he submitted his proposal “a global charter movement” to develop a declaration or manifesto on labour, relevant to all working people, under the conditions of a radically transformed and highly aggressive capitalism, neo-liberalised, networked and globalised. September 2008.  See pdf. file

Labour, Social Movements and Emancipation in the 21st Century - Peter Waterman (London 1936) is a veteran activist-researcher in and on labour, social movements, the old and new internationalisms. The present collection consists of papers written since his New Internationalisms. They fall under the heads of Labouring People and Unions, Women and Feminism, Communication and Culture, the Global Justice Movement and World Social Forum. An autobiographical Conclusion reflects on Communism as a predecessor of the latest wave of internationalist social movements. Peter is presently engaged with other experiments in computerised and on-line publishing. He is also writing a full-length autobiography. Lima/The Hague, January-March 2008. See book on line.

I have two motives for publishing this account of my experiences in Prague before, during and after the famous Prague Spring and the infamous Soviet invasion. The first, obviously, is that this is now the 40th anniversary of these events. The second is that it may provide readers, print- and online-publishers with a taster for the book-length autobio from which it is extracted. 2008.  See pdf. file.

This is a proposal for research into the new and developing internationalisms of the ‘peasants, artisans and others, enrolled amongst the sons of toil’. These internationalisms are so commonly articulated in network form (so difficult to understand without network theory?) that it is difficult to discuss the one without the other. By Peter Waterman, December 2007.  See pdf. file.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has issued a statement that publicly endorses the World Social Forum’s Day of Action, 2008. Although the ITUC and its forerunners have increasingly attended events of the WSF at both global and lower levels, attendance has not previously been marked by such an appeal. The event now being promoted intended to take place locally but worldwide, substitutes for the customary five-day event concentrated in specific Third World cities. December 2007.   See pdf file.