Free online global labour history course offers fresh perspectives on labour’s past and future

Toronto – January 20, 2025 – The Global Labour University’s Online Academy offers a free online course in global labour history, to help union activists understand what the past struggles of labour movements can teach us today.

This course comes highly recommended by the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF), of which UFCW Canada is an affiliate.

Through short video presentations supplemented by accompanying downloadable papers, in clear, accessible language, the course examines, through case studies spanning the globe, key themes in the rich history of workers’ struggles.

The chapters and their case studies ask, first, how — and why — have workers organized, from the beginnings of the modern labour movement through the 1990s? How have labour movements responded to mass migration, struggled for democracy, confronted crises and new forms of work, collaborated or conflicted with other social movements? And what can we learn from these struggles today?

The course does not attempt a comprehensive, chronological or institutional history; no prior knowledge is required. By focusing on key themes, it seeks to encourage critical reflection on the challenges facing labour today.

The course is free, interactive and offers a variety of options. There are no obligations or requirements, but enrollment is necessary to access the videos and written presentations. Participants can explore the content and download the videos and papers at their own pace and according to their interests. They can also work with the GLU’s team of international tutors in over 40 countries and earn academic credits, post reflections and questions, interact with the other students and tutors and take part in regional workshops.

The course is currently available in English and French (although the papers accompanying the videos are available only in English).