In an ideal world, trade unionists would be able to gather for meetings whenever we wanted, anywhere on the planet. Just like corporations do.

We’d have no shortage of funds (and time) to fly ourselves around the globe, and working together at these frequent meetings, we’d build the kind of global trade union movement we can only dream of today.
That world is probably never going to happen, even if the costs of air travel have come down in recent years. In reality, we tend to rely on tools like email, online discussion forums, and good old-fashioned phone calls — none of which are able to do what a well-organized, face-to-face event can do.
There is always the option of conference calls using the phone network, which are enormously expensive, especially when done internationally. This is not an option for unions with limited resources.
But now a technology has come along which offers unions the possibility to hold international meetings in which up to 100 people can participate. These meetings take place online and they do not involve typing — they are like conference phone calls where people get the chance to speak.
Not everyone can speak at once, and a moderator (the “host”) gives speaking rights to anyone who wishes to make a contribution. This is starting to sound a lot like a meeting in the real world, with the major difference being that you can’t actually see who’s talking.
This already sounds good and here’s the best part: it’s free.
Skype, the pioneers of free online telephone calls, have begun offering what they call Skypecasts. Anyone can sign up, so long as you use Skype. As Skype currently has 113 million users, it is likely that many trade unionists already use the service. Those who do not, but who have Internet access, should be encouraged to do so.
All you need is a computer, a (fast) Internet connection, headphones and a microphone (ideally a headset) and Skype’s free software.
At any given time, there are currently only about 100 Skypecasts taking place. When I looked, not a single one was being hosted by a union. The number of Skypecasts is low because this software is in its “preview” stage — you can use it, but Skype’s not heavily promoting it. Yet.
To learn more about Skypecasting, go here:
https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/home