Workers Beer Company

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Workers Beer Company

Introduction and background

The National Young Members Committee (NYMC) have this year agreed to continue to team up with the Workers Beer Company and are seeking volunteers to assist at various festivals, including Glastonbury, Hop Farm and Reading and Leeds, among others.

The Workers Beer Company was established by local trade unionists in Battersea and Wandsworth Trades Union Council (BWTUC) in the mid-1980s to raise money for their campaigns and activities.

BWTUC already had some experience in running small local outdoor festivals and running a bar was a natural next step. The Company itself started up by providing bars at small socials and benefits, but soon found itself in demand for larger events.

Making an impact

After running a bar at the Anti-Apartheid rally on Clapham Common the Company was invited by Michael Eavis to provide bars at the Glastonbury festival in 1986 and the Company has been there ever since, its banners now a well established part of this world-acclaimed event.

In the late 1980s the Company teamed up with Vince Power of the Mean Fiddler to co-promote the Fleadh in Finsbury Park, which ran for over a decade as London’s premier outdoor Irish and international music event. Through the 1990s the Company has worked on some of the UK’s largest festivals, including Reading, Glastonbury, Phoenix, Homelands and Leeds.

Apart from the larger events, the Company also supports smaller trades union and community events, including the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Day in Dorset and the Lighthouse bike-ride.

Since it was founded by Battersea and Wandsworth TUC, the Workers Beer Company has raised over £3,000,000 for the organisations that work with it.

What will people need to do?

As a volunteer you will not get paid directly, but you will get free entry to the festival, a couple of drinks when your shift is over, and when you are not working (shifts are usually six hours long) you can enjoy the music and the atmosphere of the festival.

Where the event runs over a number of days the Company will provide a secure campsite with toilets, showers and a subsidised canteen and bar.

The money “earned” by PCS members working at these events will be donated to the National Young Members campaign fund.

How do members get Involved?

If you wish to get involved, members should electronically submit the following information by Monday 4 April 2011:

Which event(s) you are interested in working at (Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading or Leeds);
PCS membership number;
A photo of yourself - this needs to be of your head and shoulders and in jpeg format no larger than 80kb;
Full name;
Date of Birth (to confirm you're over 18);
Address;
Contact phone number;
Contact email address;
Next of kin and their contact details (in the rare event of an emergency);
Whether or not you have any mobility issues:
In no more than 250 words - why you think you should be selected to represent PCS.

This information should be e-mailed to Pete McGuigan - peter.mcguigan@voa.gsi.gov.uk, the national young members’ coordinator for these events.

Pete will co-ordinate groups for each event. A selection process in involving elected members of the NYMC and NEC will be undertaken. It’s vitally important members honour their pledge to work at events as it’s very hard to organise replacements at the last minute.

Below is a list of events members may wish to cover. Please note the dates of availability required by the WBC.

We do not allow non-members to attend and priority is given to members who are aged 27 and under. PCS branches and groups can apply directly to the Workers Beer Company to set up their own fundraising teams. For further details visit the Workers Beer site.

Is there anything else members need to do?

Yes, consideration should be given to the following:

We do not recommend you use your work email as a contact email, a personal one is preferable.
You must be a full member of PCS and be in membership at the time of the event you wish to attend.
You must supply an electronic passport size photograph in jpeg format, less than 80kb and submit your photo electronically.
We can only process electronic copies.
PCS will act as your referee, and you must abide by PCS rules and equality policies at all times.

Can non-members sign up?

No, as PCS acts as a referee, we will not sanction non-members to attend on behalf of PCS. However, should a non-member join PCS as a consequence of wishing to attend they will be given permission for attendance.

Will PCS pay travel & subsistence?

No, PCS will not secure facility time for members to attend nor pay travel and subsistence. Given that admission to attend such events will be free, we would expect members to volunteer their time.

Who can I contact if I have any queries?
You may contact Pete McGuigan - peter.mcguigan@voa.gsi.gov.uk - 07921 819 041 or Tracy Edwards - tracy@pcs.org.uk - 07717 617 996