GMB NATIONAL
GMB
GMB at Glastonbury
Left Field
GMB members headed to Glastonbury to
promote the union’s work, join the party at
■ GMB at Glastonbury 2008
the Left Field and help to run the bars
Want to
be a rep?
For more details
go to www.gmb.
E
verybody has heard of the
org.uk
Glastonbury Festival, but
what you may not know
is that GMB has been a
stakeholder at the event since the
1980s. This was when the Battersea
& Wandsworth TUC, to which GMB
is affi liated, set up the Workers Beer
Company to raise money for the trade
unions being decimated by Thatcher’s
government. While the Tories have
long gone, the Workers Beer Company
has thrived and GMB helps it to run
the bars at the festival and other events
to continue this fundraising work.
Perks of the job
Clockwise from left:
This year, London, Yorkshire, Southern
GMB’s Rogues Gallery
and Northern Regions all sent
at the Left Field Tower;
Tony Benn; the Left
volunteers to work in the bars and raise Field stage; Joss Stone
money for GMB local action.
For every hour the volunteers
To join the party on the Left Field stage, GMB teamed up with the
worked, their regions received a
donation of £6.50. In return, the
Polish Embassy to bring three Polish bands – Alex and the Drummer,
volunteers received free entry to
Flykkillers and Cars on Fire – over to the festival to perform
the festival for their efforts and the
opportunity to enjoy the live music bring three Polish bands – Alex and the Polish workers into GMB over the last
once their shift was over. Drummer, Flykkillers and Cars on Fire few years – in particular in Scotland, on
– over to the festival to perform. the South Coast, and in London and
Welcome to the Left Field Polish Vice Consul Maciej Mazurek the South East.
GMB was also the main sponsor of spoke at GMB Congress, cementing “We want to make sure that Polish
the Left Field stage, which was fl anked the growing relationship between workers know that they are welcomed
an 85 foot tower, that was constructed GMB and the migrant Polish by trade unions into the UK and we
and erected by GMB members who workforce, who are an increasingly
Below: View from
want them to be organised against
are employed as metal workers at the important force in GMB.
the Left Field
exploitation. Glastonbury Left Field
Appledore Shipyard in North Devon. Speaking at the festival, GMB
stage; Paul Kenny
helps us to get this message across by
To join the party on the stage, GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny said
and Michael Eavis
at the Polish
promoting the cause of economic and
teamed up with the Polish Embassy to “GMB has organised thousands of Embassy. social justice.”
Brilliant music and debate
Festival Organiser Michael Eavis said
“We’re very proud to support the trade
union’s campaign for UK migrant
workers rights at Glastonbury Festival
this year. We’re even more proud that
we are doing it in the way the festival
has always done it – through brilliant
music and debate on the famous Left
Field stage.”
■ To register with the Workers Beer
d
Company as a GMB volunteer at
iar
W
Britain’s major music festivals, email
e
w
your membership number to
Andr gmb.workersbeer@hotmail.co.uk.
www.gmb.org.uk 13
IINS02.nat_glasto 13NS02.nat_glasto 13 224/6/08 10:31:154/6/08 10:31:15
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32