International Labour, Research & Information Group (ILRIG)

ILRIG was founded in 1983 as a labour service organisation dedicated to research, education, training, and production of popular materials in the interests of then advancing unions and workers power. In the early 2000s, ILRIG’s overall focus shifted to the process of globalisation, focusing on working class critiques of the free market and the exploration of alternatives. ILRIG’s constituency also changed with an orientation jointly towards community movements and worker formations, with a view to facilitating greater unity. Within the last few years, globalisation has begun breaking down as an ideology. It is being replaced by an openly authoritarian form of neo-liberalism based at the nation state level and has been accompanied by the rise in popularity of regressive politics including xenophobia, ultra-nationalism and in some places even fascism. In this context, the need to build mass movements based on progressive politics, principles, values and ethics that can be a counter-power to capitalism, populism, authoritarianism, class rule, racism, sexism and the nation state is more important than ever. Through its research, popular education, publications, School and Provincial Platforms ILRIG’s energy is focused on assisting to build and capacitate such movements grounded in progressive principles, values and ethics. Our work is focused around supporting the self-organisation of four main groups (these are not mutually exclusive): communities, workers, women and youth. ILRIG also aims to bring the experiences of working and poor people in other countries to Southern African organisations, and to draw on this information to inform the search for alternative policies as well as assist in the development of strong bonds of international solidarity between social movements and trade unions.