George Brown College's Labour Fair

For the full Labour Fair program with over 75 classroom events, check:

http://www.georgebrown.ca/schooloflabour/lab-fair.aspx

George Brown College’s Labour Fair is the biggest – in terms of scope, size and breadth – event to profile the labour movement to post-secondary students at any college or university in Canada! It is:

• An annual, week-long event that brings trade union speakers into about 80 college classrooms across our 3 campuses.
• An opportunity for over 3000 students to hear the union perspective on the issues that they face when they get jobs in the sectors they are training for – the challenges the sector is facing, strategies to overcome occupational problems.
• Not just talks, but also cultural events! Music, films, displays, theatre and performance art – to highlight workers’ issues and issues of social justice in a creative and imaginative way, and the labour movement’s artistic contributions.

The Labour Fair emphasizes the added rights and benefits that a union brings into the workplace, and that unions help to narrow the gap between rich and poor in our society. We also give prominence to struggles against classism, racism, sexism, homophobia, heterosexism, ableism and other forms of economic and social injustice.

What’s the Labour Fair’s theme this year?

New

The World of Work: Is it Working for You???

Ontario college students are facing tremendous pressure in the current economy. Rising tuition costs, cuts to supports, and a dismal job market mean that many students are forced into low pay, part-time and contract positions with few benefits. Even these jobs are increasingly difficult to come by as more people are forced out of work. The provincial and federal governments announce waves of cutbacks to services and bursaries that are currently helping students complete their studies debt-free. These governments are also attacking the unionized jobs that provide stability, benefits, and higher pay for those entering the workforce.

Unions make a difference for all students, and stand up for fairness for everyone in the face of the austerity agenda. Together with students in Quebec, unions helped to stop legislation that would have increased tuition, and kept that province’s tuition the lowest in Canada. Imagine what students and workers in Ontario can achieve when we work together. Come and explore these possibilities during our 21^st annual Labour Fair!