3. Links between International Organisations and Trade Union Organisations

The participants of this workshop will discuss the principles that should govern the relationships between international organizations of human rights and trade-unions, which are, by nature and in the actual state of things, at the national level.  They will compare those principles with the present practices and will try to propose paths to follow in the future to better articulate their actions and to avoid energy loss when facing the weight of the tasks to accomplish.

Kim Vance, ARC International (Canada)
Marie-Clarke Walker, Canadian Labour Congress (Canada)

President:
Sue Genge, Canadian Labour Congress (Canada)

4. Twinning between "First World" and "Third World" Trade Unions about LGBT Policies

ABVAKABO FNV is the trade-union for the Dutch public sector. It has been actively working

on LGBT policies since 1986, at first on a national scale, and then at the international level.
The workshop will provide an introduction about the twinning relationship, offer ideas about perspectives, and provide space for discussions on: the applicability of twinning relations for other organizations or groups, the issues on which to focus in the twinning, and the do’s and don’ts of such twinning relations.

Michiel Odijk, ABVAKABO (Netherlands)
Jocelio Drummond, ISP (Brazil)
President:
Michael Butler, Canadian Union of Public Employees (Canada)

Plenary Session - Discussion on the Action Plan

President: Pierre Séguin, Centrale des syndicats du Québec (Québec, Canada)

1.The Right's Assault on Rights: Australian Perspectives .

This panel will look at these issues within the wider context of Australia’s shift to the right because of the Howard government.  It will also look at how matters have an ostensibly non-industrial impact on our workplace rights and how it provides a particular focus on the education system.  Finally, it will point out the need for both further research and further union action regarding LGBTI workplace rights.

Frank Barnes, NSW Teachers’ Federation et Australian Education Union (Australia)
Mark Dolahenty, Ray Goodlas and Bronwyn Winter, National Tertiary Education Union (Australia)
Craig Burgess, UNISON/ASU (United Kingdom)

Chair: Sue Genge, Canadian Labour Congress (Canada)

2. Taking Charge of LGBT Cases by Trade Unions: Dos and Don'ts, United States

This particular workshop discusses how to approach difficult conversations within labour-unions. During Pride at Work, resistance, hostility and other forms of discrimination has been encountered by LGBTQ people.  The sometimes inhospitable union environment cancause activists to repress their needs, with regards to rights and fairness. The aim will be to bolster the esteem of activists and to provide them with the language necessary in order to best deal with these sensitive and difficult subjects within their unions.

It is essential to develop discussion points and strategies in the fight against homophobia in light of this electoral year when anti-gay initiatives are being contested throughout the USA.

Dan Sturgis, Howard Wallace, Nancy Wohlforth, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (United States)

Chair: Thomas Barbera, American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (United States)

3. Mapping Homophobic Workplaces, Heteronormativity and Discrimination: A Debate on the European and North American Perspectives

We live in a society where heterosexual norms dominate.  The norm assumes everyone to be heterosexual – and that living a heterosexual life is the only natural way to live.

Because of the invisibility of sexual orientation, and the unawareness of the risk of harassment and discrimination, there is a lack of efficient models, routines and methods on how to work with sexual orientation issues at work places. There are, in some countries and for some institutions, developed policies and a defined structure. Still, a lot of people are unaware of their existence, or uncertain on how to use them.

Arnas Zdanevicius, Ph. D., Magnus University (Lithuania)Jolanta Reingardiene, Ph. D., Magnus University (Lithuania)
Gerald Hunt, Ryerson University (Canada)Chair: Francis Lagacé, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Québec, Canada)

4. The Expression of Identity in the Working Lives of New Zealand Lesbian Nurses

The nurses share how they negotiated their self-disclosure and reveal the impact of this on their relationships with colleagues and people with mental health problems. The process of self-disclosure demands constant and critical self-appraisal in the socio-political context and work environment. Stories from these nurses suggest that diversity within the lesbian subculture is a healthy reflection of the diversity in LGBT communities.

Chris Walsh, Victoria University (New Zealand)

5. From Periphery to Centre: Lesbians of Colour’s Experiences with Workplace Discrimination

Through a narrative analysis format, we will discuss the types of workplace discrimination lesbians of colour confront, and the strategies they use to navigate their workplaces.  The interviewees were lesbians of colour residing in Southern Ontario.  Three key points will be raised: intersectionality at work, racism in the workplace and lesbophobia in the workplace.

Tomee Sojourner, founder and principle consultant, Sojourner Diversity Consultants (Canada)
Chair: Dominique Dubuc, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Québec, Canada)

1. Portrait of the Situation Concerning Homophobia in the Workplace in Québec

This workshop presents the results of a large-scale study covering the entire province of Québec to document the difficulties experienced by the gay and lesbian workers of different job types and environments.  The climate that prevails in the workplace environment and the homophobia that characterizes it weighs considerably on the decision of whether to divulge or not one’s sexual orientation and consequently, on the accessibility to the advantages of the new laws and the entire respect of these rights.

Line Chamberland, Institut de recherches et d’études féministes (Quebec, Canada)
LGBT Persons in Heteronormative Work Environment
A study by the University of Helsinki, Finland, reveals that employees in Finnish workplaces spend a great deal of energy on keeping their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression a secret. This constant secrecy surrounding their private life is a source of anguish and psychological stress at work for many people.

Kati Mustola and Jukka Lehtonen, University of Helsinki (Finland)

Chair: Francis Lagacé, Confédération des syndicats nationaux (Québec, Canada)

2. Sexualities at Work-Narratives of Same Sex Attracted Young People and their Negotiation of Diverse Sexualities in the Workplace

For young people seeking to enter and maintain paid employment, contemporary trends in the labour market, such as the increasing rate of casualization, present structural challenges for their transition to working life.  For same-sex attracted young people transitioning from school-to-work or working while continuing further education, the uncertainties surrounding employment and financial stability hold additional ramifications and risks as they negotiate newly formulated non-hetero sexualities within often impermanent work settings. This workshop will explore the key findings from a recent qualitative inquiry into same-sex attracted young people's experiences of being non-hetero in the workplace. 

Paul Willis, University of Tasmania, Australia

Chair: Larry Imbeault, Centrale des syndicats du Québec (Québec, Canada)

3. Aids and Discrimination in the Workplace

The workshop will present the ‘AIDS in the Workplace’ program of the Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le sida (COCQ-sida).  This approach is founded on human rights, relating to the ban of discriminations in the Québec and in the Canada Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  After presenting the issues surrounding the announcement of one’s serologic status in Québec, we will propose an AIDS in workplace policy implementation process as well as accommodation measures that are appropriate.

Nicole Lépine, Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois contre le sida (Québec, Canada)

President: Dr. Pierre Côté (Québec, Canada)
 

4. Trade Union, Education and Homosexuality: How They Should Work Together

Based on concrete situations of omissions, wrong attitudes and misconducts by friends or family insulting young gays, lesbians, bisexuals, queers or transgenders, we will share and develop practical ways to fight sexism and homophobia in everyday life.  The presenter will draw from his own experience to nourish reflection but he counts also and mostly on the participants to share their questioning and their experiences.  This workshop will be an environment of exchange for tricks, approaches, activities and resources to help workers of the academic field combat sexism and homophobia in their environment.  Therefore, an active participation of every participant will be asked and encouraged. 

Michel Dorais, Ph. D., Université Laval (Québec, Canada)
Erwin Kunnen and Grada Schadee, Dutch Education Trade Union, (Netherlands)

Chair: Pierre Séguin, Centrale des syndicats du Québec (Québec, Canada)

International Trade Union Structure on LGBT Matters

Plenary Session - Adoption of the Action Plan for Trade Unions

President: Claude Généreux, Canadian Union of Public Employees (Canada)