Frequently Asked Questions

Who is RadioLabour

The RadioLabour team consists of labour educators, negotiators, research representatives, union members and others connected to the labour movement. Most of us work, or have worked, for a union, a labour studies centre, or a global union.

The team is led by Marc Bélanger, an international labour educator, based in Canada.

You can contact any of our reporters by sending an email to RadioLabour. See the contact section for details.

Why RadioLabour?

The goal of RadioLabour is to promote global communication between labour organizations. The news service is especially focussed on building North-South dialogue by audiocasting reports from and about developing countries, but it also reports on events in developed countries.

As part of its mandate to promote communication between unionists globally, RadioLabour works at helping people who are trying to learn English as an Additional Language (EAL) so they can better participate in the international labour movement. Scripts of all the reports are supplied so learners can read the words in the reports as they listen to them. A plan for the future is to provide EAL lessons based on each week’s audiocast.

We also serve as a model and source of expertise for unionists who want to start a service such as RadioLabour in their country or for their organization. Contact us if you need advice or assistance in developing a labour-based audiocasting service.

RadioLabour is an important instrument in the building of international solidarity amongst unionists. It takes its political orientation from the International Trade Union Confederation (the ITUC), the Global Union Federations, and the Workers’ Group of the International Labour Organization (the ILO).

Who can report for RadioLabour?

Anybody associated with the labour movement can report for RadioLabour. That’s you. So please come join us. You can report either using our Skype voice mail box (which is very simple to do) or by sending an audio file (which takes a little more work, but is easy to learn).

Join us as a regular reporter, an occasional contributor, or as a one-time event-based witness. Are you at an event where unions are active? Send us a report,

Please note, however: all stories from occasional or one-time reporters purporting to represent the views of a labour organization must be accompanied by a website reference or a document from the organization. In other words: all reports must have a verifiable source.

Also: all reports must be filed with a written script.

No reports will be audiocasted if they do not have a verifiable source and written script.

How can I become a RadioLabour reporter?

Click on the Reporting link on the top. Then click on “How to Report for RadioLabour”. The section also describes the equipment that can be used to provide audiofiles. This equipment ranges from a simple headset (for occasional reporters) to slightly more advanced instruments (used by regular reporters).

What kind of reports does RadioLabour audiocast?

RadioLabour is a journalistic endeavour. It reports on events of interest to unionists such as labour-related campaigns and strikes as well as the views of labour organizations concerning current events. It does not audiocast opinion pieces.

Are there guidelines for producing a RadioLabour audio report?

Yes. Before submitting a report to RadioLabour, please read the Reporting Guidelines.

How do I send audio files to RadioLabour?

Simply go to the "Sending files to RadioLabour" page, and follow the instructions.

Will my audio report be included in a RadioLabour audiocast?

Almost certainly. However, a number of factors have to be considered which may determine if your audio report is included in an audiocast. Can the report be clearly understood? (We can help you with that). Is the story of interest to a global audience? Are there already other stories about that issue or event in the newscast? Are there already stories from that country? (We want to present reports from a variety of areas in the world.) If your report is not accepted for the audiocast we may suggest another time or another angle on the story. Rest assured that we do want your reports.