22 July, 2021Today in Geneva, IndustriALL hosted a test event for the organization’s third Congress, which will be held online. Because the Congress will decide the future direction of the organization, it was crucial to test online participation and voting. The test was a success.
Congress was initially scheduled to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The test event was held in a studio at Palexpo, at Geneva airport, whith remote participation.
IndustriALL general secretary Valter Sanches said:
“The pandemic has propelled trade unions into the future, forcing them to adopt online systems for holding meetings and conducting business. This has been a huge culture shift for our movement. It has been difficult, but one positive aspect is that we have greatly increased participation. Our meetings are more transparent, more accessible and more representative.
“We have helped our affiliates expand their digital capacity, and we’ve been working to develop a number of innovative systems to ensure that participants in our Congress have the best possible experience. We’re using technology that will allow union delegates to vote in our decision-making processes, and feel part of our great movement from wherever they are in the world.
“This is going to be a dynamic Congress that will shape the future of this powerful organization at a time when the union voice is needed more than ever. We look forward to welcoming you.”
Here are some social media posts that provide a teaser:
Is this the future of trade union meetings?
— IndustriALL (@IndustriALL_GU) July 22, 2021
Zoom meetings with simultaneous translation and online voting.#UnitedForAJustFuture#IndustriALL2021 pic.twitter.com/NWeEJTzPdU
We're testing interactions and voting systems, bringing speakers into the meeting to debate resolutions, and using the reactions in the online system to measure participants views.#UnitedForAJustFuture pic.twitter.com/TWbLBXAfbG
— IndustriALL (@IndustriALL_GU) July 22, 2021