First meeting among inaugural LAB members

The first meetings of the newly-launched Labour Alliance co-laB (LAB) took place on 20 September and 3 October 2024, bringing together a distinguished and diverse group of academics, researchers, and thought leaders dedicated to supporting LAB's mission of harnessing labour research to address critical labour issues, co-develop strategies, and strengthen the capacity of the Labour Movement to better champion for workers.

During the meetings, LAB's inaugural members engaged in an in-depth discussion of the current landscape of labour relations, examining both national and global trends that impact workers. They identified priority areas for research and explored ways in which their academic and/or research work can support union activities, from capacity building to social advocacy, to better support workers. These ideas include a combination of formats such as expert roundtables, workshops, seminars, brown bags, and social dialogues, joint taskforces etc.

These first meetings mark the start of a powerful, first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Labour Movement and experts in labour research, with a shared goal of bridging the gap between rigorous research and practical real-world implementation. Members expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines and bringing their expertise and perspectives to impact today's labour landscape.