FIGHT FOR THE LIVING
What - the source of the material
The material is Fight for the Living, a unit of activities based on a pamphlet produced by the CLC for the Day of Mourning for workers who have died or been injured on the job. (See pages 35 to 42 for hand-outs for activities). The current version of the pamphlet can be found in the back pocket of this Guide.
Why - the rationale for its selection
The rationale for the selection of this pamphlet for materials development was two fold:
- the Day of Mourning and the issue of health and safety are relevant to all workers
- group sets of the original pamphlet were widely distributed by the CLC to unions and labour councils across canada
How - the way the material and activities were developed
This unit of material was developed by the BEST Training officer for optional use in BEST programs. The design of the learning activities was based very closely on the original pamphlet. The types of activities that have been applied to the material integrate a dual process of problem posing and literacy development. The materials se instructional techniques which, ideally, form part of a literacy instructor's tool kit. These are: pre-reading discussion using key words; silent reading and discussion; assisted reading; and various reading comprehension activities such as true/false statements, a cloze exercise, and scrambled sentences. These techniques represent have been used only a partial selection of the many possible activities that could with these materials.
Unit Objectives
Participants will:
- become familiar with the Day of Mourning - what it means, how it came to be, and how it can be used to further workers' struggles for healthy and safe working conditions;
- find out about activities in their own workplace and community and learn how to get involved;
- on health and safety issues in their own workplace and reflect identify problems from their own experience; and
- learn about the union's role in health and safety and how members' concerns can be brought forward.