The Executive Committee became increasingly concerned at the general mismanagement of the economy and the chronic lack of investment in real wealth creating industries and our public services. It was also concerned that the scale of the government and media misperceptions about economic issues needed to be addressed and economic awareness therefore needed to be restored to trade union education.
Consequently a number of training events were organised that sought to debunk the economic clichés, and equip trade unionist and community organisers with the tools to counter economic orthodoxies and argue for alternatives. A pamphlet was produced with the Progressive Economic Forum and the University of London SOAS on the Cost of Living Crisis and the real cause of low wages and high profits and how to find new solutions. This was then expanded into a pocket sized book with Verso press to provide and accessible guide to the economic issues of the day.
This work led the Executive to work with SOAS to consider funding projects to enable greater knowledge exchange on key economic issues of the day and propose coherent alternative economic models for the future and to propose joint working with the Confed.
In turn the Executive believed that it was appropriate to propose a major economic statement to the May 2023 BGCM to be taken forward as a central and underpinning priority in all of its work and educational events.
