Museum de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal
Saturday 1 November 2008

Present:

• Jan-Anders Dam-Nielsen, Norwegian Industrial Workers’ Museum, Rjukan, Norway
• José Gameiro, Museum of Portimão, Portugal
• Kalle Kallio, Finnish Labour Museum, Tampere, Finland
• Peter Ludvigsen, Workers’ Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark
• Nick Mansfield, People’s History Museum, UK
• Torsten Nilsson, Arbetets Museum, Norrköping, Sweden
• Ana Patricia Ramos, Museum of Portimão, Portugal
• Udo Wiesinger, Museum Industrielle Arbeitswelt, Steyr, Austria

Chair: Peter Ludvigsen
Secretary: Nick Mansfield

From the Worklab conference 2008 in Portimao

The new board of Worklab on keyside, Portimao, 1.11.2008: From left José Gameiro, Museu de Portimão, Portugal; Nick Mansfiled, The People’s History, Manchester, UK; Udo Wiesinger, Museum Arbeitswelt, Steyr, Austria; Kalle Kallio, Finnish Labour Museum Werstas, Tampere, Finland; Torsten Nilsson, Museum of Work, Norrköping, Sweden and Peter Ludvigsen, The Worker’s Museum, Copenhagen, DEnmark. (Jürgen Bönig. Museum der Arbeit, Hamburg, Germany was absent)

Minutes:
The Minutes from the General Meeting in Steyr, 2005 were agreed as a correct record of the meeting.  Apologies were received from relevant members of the board.

1. The chair reported on the state of Worklab’s finances and tabled a balance sheet indicated that a balance of 3,530.64DR (about €500) existed.  He explained that the cost of Worklab meetings had previously been born by the Migration Work and Identity project or had been born by host institutes.
2. a. The chair explained some of the background of ICOM and recommended the benefits of WORKLAB joining the institution as a new committee.  Examples were that ICOM would provide some secretarial support and funding and would give the strength of thousands of members to help market Worklab’s aims.  After some discussion of ICOM’s fees it was recommended that Worklab members of ICOM should join as individual members.  The chair outlined the procedure for forming a Worklab committee; 50 members needed from more than one continent and a convergence of Worklab and ICOM’s aims, which the chair felt should be very easy.  ICOM’s application procedure was outlined and the chair felt that Worklab’s application would be welcomed by ICOM.  Jan-Anders Dam-Nielsen initiated a discussion on the disadvantages of joining ICOM.  Kalle Kallio raised constitutional issues about joining ICOM and the roles of individuals and institutional members.

   It was unanimously agreed that Worklab now forms a new organisation which would apply to ICOM to form a new committee.  The chair listed the reasons why the new Worklab was needed; to involve existing core members, to foster a growing interest in the subject amongst labour, social and technology museums, and to encourage fledgling labour museums in the Third World.

   Worklabs – labour, work and social history was unanimously accepted as the new title.  It was agreed that the chair should pursue constitutional issues with ICOM in cooperation with other board members and that the Worklab.dk website be continued until ICOM’s membership be established.  Members were asked to assemble potential signatories.  Udo Wiesinger (Austria) offered to draft the invitation letter and co-ordinate the potential signatories.

   b. Past European Union projects were reviewed.  Udo Wiesinger mentioned the Youth in Action project and members were asked to contact him if interested.

3. Members present were confirmed as the board; Peter Ludvigsen (chair), Nick Mansfield (Secretary), Udo Wiesinger, Torsten Nilsson and José Gameiro.  Kalle Kallio was unanimously elected as a new board member as Annette Vasström stepped down.
4. Kalle Kallio tabled a paper about the proposed TICCIH conference in Tampere in August 2010 and the invitation to hold an adjoining Worklab meeting.  Members were asked to respond to the TICCIH call for papers in January 2010 and a General meeting of Worklab would be planned.

No other issues were raised.

The Museum of Portimão was warmly thanked for their generous hospitality in the excellent conference.