🗓 March Newsletter

🧗 NEW! Social Climbers

We’re launching Social Climbers — an informal indoor climbing group for worker-folk and activists who want to connect in a different way: at the climbing gym, not just in meetings. 

All are welcome. Even if you're just climbing-curious, we can help introduce you to climbing.

Interested? Join the WhatsApp group or send an email to southislandworkers+climb@gmail.com to get added. We'll figure out how to organize our first gathering there.

☕ Workers’ Café

In & Against the State: Organising for Power in the Public Sector

Friday, March 13 · 6:30–8:30 pm

Victoria Friends Meeting House (Quakers)

1831 Fern Street

We will be discussing how public sector workers can organise against government policies that hurt the communities we serve and instead build democratic public services for all.

Join us for an interactive discussion about the ways public sector workers can organise on the job to create a better world for all.

👉 The event is free, the full details and registration can be found here.

Report from February Cafe: We met to watch the documentary The Plan about aerospace workers in the 1970's who wanted to stop making war planes and start making socially useful technologies instead. Afterwards we had a wide ranging discussion about how capitalism squanders human potential, why war is so profitable and what the economy would look like if we, the workers, were in control!

📚 Book Club

This month we finished reading and discussing In & Against the State. Highlights from our discussion will be shared at our upcoming Workers' Cafe (more information above).

Our next book will be Hyperpolitics: Extreme Politicization without Political Consequences by Anton Jäger. What happens when politics is everywhere, yet nothing seems to change? This book explores why meaningful political change feels so difficult, even as the world around us seems to be in crisis. If you are interested in being part of the book club, join the group chat. We are looking into getting discounted copies through the publisher and will have more information soon. Our hope is to have our first discussion in early April.

🎶 United We Sing

UWS was busy this month! Besides our monthly rehearsal and social, we sang at Commie Bop and supported Labour For Palestine by singing at at weekly rally!

Commie Bop is an open mic for music poetry, performances with left-wing values. The Bop is hosted by SIWCEL member Wes Carroll! This event happens the third Thursday of every month at The Mint, 7- 10pm.

The choir not only sang together but four choir members put on individual performances.

⛏️ Miners Memorial Weekend

South Island Workers will be attending Miners Memorial Weekend in Cumberland, June 12–14. Join us for this annual celebration of workers’ struggles—singing, hiking, and connecting with labour activists from across the Island. We’re exploring a group campsite and bus.

👉 Interested? Please sign up here.

More Ways to Get Involved

We are always looking for more people to help organize, plan and promote SIWCEL events. Currently we have 3 committees: Organising, Communications and Education.

Interested in promoting SIWCEL on social media, designing graphics and helping to publicise our events? The communications committee is currently looking for members. Join the whatsapp group here.

In solidarity,

South Island Workers