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| SUNSHINE, MUSIC AND BEER! |
The world's best music festival – Glastonbury – takes place in June. And the union-run Left Field will bring anti-racist and fair trade issues to the partying masses, as Sharon Watson reports
More than a music festival
This month sees one of the biggest and most colourful trade union events
of the summer – although if you’re not already going you won’t
see it!
Everyone has heard of the Glastonbury
Festival and how all 112,000 tickets were sold within 24 hours of
going on sale in April. You may even have heard that this year’s
headline acts include Paul McCartney and Oasis. But the union angle? Unless
you’ve been before, it seems unlikely.
But Glastonbury is much more than a music festival. That’s why tickets
sell out each year before any acts are confirmed. Regulars go for the
full “Glasto” experience, and for the past three years this
has included the union-run Left Field,
which is dedicated to bringing anti-racist and fair trade issues to the
partying masses.
This year’s Left Field will be the biggest ever, with a multitude
of performances and events running practically around the clock over the
weekend.
The Left Field attracts a diverse range of acts and speakers – from
Tony Benn (a Leftfield regular) to US grunge star Kat Bjelland, making
an appearance with her new band Katastrophy Wife.
Anti-globalisation activist Naomi Klein will be a star guest, bring her
“no logo” campaign to Glastonbury with film, installations
and debates throughout the weekend. A mocked-up Palestinian Wall and a
replica Camp X-Ray will draw attention to the Palestinian crisis and the
untried inmates of Guantanamo Bay respectively.
Music young and old plays a huge part of the Left Field experience, and
this year the Left Field stage plays host to Squeeze’s Glenn Tilbrook,
ska band Capdown, Irish rockers Jet Plane Landing, “punk rock supergroup”
Carbon/Silicon and the ubiquitous Billy Bragg. DJs will include former
Jerry Dammers (ex-The Specials), Clash collaborator Don Letts and comedian
Phill Jupitus.
Left Field director Geoff Martin says that after two successful Glastonburys,
the Left Field is becoming a festival institution.
“People come down and hang out for the day – there is always
something to do here. We are really disproving the cliché that
young people aren’t interested in politics or campaigns for social
justice.
“But we don’t ram it down their throats – it’s
about having a good time as well.”
Whatever the weather, you can guarantee huge beer sales at Glastonbury.
Every pint sold is money in the coffers of good causes, including union
branches, and social justice campaigns.
The beer tents are staffed by volunteer workers, including several UNISON
teams from all over the country.
Working under the auspices of the Workers’
Beer Company, the mainly young teams work shifts throughout the weekend
and earn an respectable hourly rate which goes to their organisation.
The Workers’ Beer Company is owned by Battersea and Wandsworth Trades
Council and has been running beer tents at events since 1985. In this
time, they have raised almost £1.7 million for the labour and social
justice movement.
This year, 600 volunteer servers will be keeping the Glastonbury crowds
refreshed.
Among them will be Rachel Daniels, a personnel officer at Bristol City
Council. A Glastonbury first-timer, Rachel says the festival is “one
of those things you have do at least once.”
She had been unlucky in her bid for a ticket, and heard that it was possible
to volunteer through UNISON to work on the bars. Now she can’t wait
to pull some pints:
“I don’t mind roughing it for a few days,” she says.
“It will be a real change from sitting in my office dealing with
personnel issues and I’ll get to meet new people through working
in a team.”
Graham Carswell, the Scottish rep on UNISON's young members’ forum,
has worked as a Beer Company volunteer at the festival for the past two
years. He says the experience is hard work but great fun.
“It’s great to make money for our campaigns and to meet others
from other unions and organisations such as War on Want and Amnesty who
are doing the same thing for their organisations. I recommend it as a
great way to help your union and have a good time.”
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