Arbeitslosenselbsthilfe O l d e n b u r g
Kaiserstr. 19
D-26122 Oldenburg (Oldenburg)
e-mail: also@also-zentrum.de
The Hearings will have three functions.
- Exchange information and experience between unemployed groups, associations and trade unions at the European level. This implies organising lots of workshops, so that the militants can express themselves, and allowing for sufficient free time for the informal exchanges.
On-depth discussions on the positions of each participant, given his/her country of origin, militant activity, and ideological convictions.
- Preparing joint activities, above all the Spring marches.
The working languages for these hearings are English, French, Castillian, German, Italian and, probably, Dutch.
Draft Agenda
Saturday 12:00 Reception, greetings, reading out messages, short videos
13:00 Presentation of the agenda and the material conditions of the hearings, presentation of the general project at the European level.
14:00 Workshops - Unemployment in the various countries, systems of support and benefit, the work of associations. - rising job insecurity and flexibility. The role of trade unions in the struggle against unemploymen - housing - social and cultural marginalisation - public service, defending "welfare" - the right to asylum, and the situation of non-nationals
17:30 Parallel workshops for each march route, including (probably) - Ireland, Britain, France, Belgium, Holland: to discuss one or two marches: Ireland, Britain via London, northern France, Belgium, Holland; and Wales, Brittany, France via Paris, Belgium via Brussels, Amsterdam.
- Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany, Holland: starting in Italy, then joined by the Swiss of the Lake Geneva region and the French from Grenoble, continuing to Basle, and then descending the Rhine valley into Holland.
- Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Holland: a Nordic march
- Germany, Holland: starting in Berlin, with a possible south German march, passing via Munich. This would allow the Austrians to start a march.
- There will also be an "Amsterdam" workshop, which will discus the problems of reception, tasks linked to the demonstration, and the debates during the counter-summit.
20:00 dinner and social evening (but with a "Manifesto" working group, in which representatives of each working group will try to amend the text.)
Sunday, 09:00-12:00 workshops on the general orientation of the marches - European institutions and their policies (single currency, etc.) and the consequences for employment (introduced by Kairos?)
- The Europe we want to build. What opening to the East and the South? Refusing Fortress Europe (introduced by someone from the Spanish state, maybe the CGT).
- Essential emergency measures for Europe, social Europe (introduced by the reporters of the Saturday workshops).
- Abolishing unemployment, reducing the working week, full employment (introduced by AC!, Michel Husson and/or Ireland's INOU?)
- Specific women's demands (introduced by Germany)
- Finance, the resources needed for such a policy
13:00-15:00 Plenary session, lunch break, approval of the manifesto and the principle points of the march strategy.
Invitations and observers
The proposal is to have a wide range of invitations and observers, going beyond the forces which will actually participate in the organisation of the marches. We will invite associations and trade unions, intellectuals engaged in the struggle against unemployment and marginalisation, parliamentary groups in the European Parliament, and various political currents. These invitations do not imply the obligation to make a speech (although anyone who wants can express him/herself in the workshops). The president of the hearings will read out a list of invitees and excuses.
Last Modified: Thursday, December 12, 1996 at 11:16 PM