Training experience at Mahou

A pilot project to understand and fight back far right


The factory

Mahou is a Spanish brewing company, founded in Madrid in 1890. Most of the jobs are held by men. Being a family company, the workers are family and the workers are mostly very corporate and have good salaries because there is a good union representation forged over the years.


Mahou has a subsidiary company that bottles water: Solán de Cabras. In that company, 26 forklift drivers decided to vote for the extreme right-wing union Solidaridad, which belongs to Vox. The union wanted to understand why these workers decided not to vote for CCOO. 


Because of that reason I also wanted to understand what strategies or problems they had in the factory, whether there had been any change in the attention they were given, etc. We had therefore called together the trade union representatives of Mahou and the representatives of Solán de Cabras. All from CCOO.

The objectives

Combating Extremism: Union Strategy


To plan the work, both a concept note and what it is called a Cocogram, which is the planning system we use in CCOO once I have established the general objectives and the specific objectives of the action, had been elaborated.


The political objectives were:


  1. Contrast the perception and knowledge of the legal representation of workers (RLT) on attitudes, speeches and opinions of the staff of the workplace that can be framed within the ideological field of the "new" extreme right. 


  1. To pilot a methodology for trade union intervention against right-wing extremism in workplaces.

THE COCOGRAM

  The specific objectives were:



Foster empathy and understanding through role experience.

Identify the common components and tactics of hate speech present in society and their transfer to the workplace

Recognize the harmful effects that hate speech has on individuals, specific groups, and the cohesion of the work environment.

Describe the importance of maintaining a work environment free of discrimination of hace for the well-being of all employees

Differentiate between freedom of speech and hate speech, analyzing real or hipothetical cases within work contexts. 

Examine the role of social media and other media in the amplification of hate speech and ho this affects the work environment

Critically evaluate the content of potential hate speech, considering its context, intention and impact

My working group during ETT1 being a big emotional and leaning support

Going Forward

We had agreed with the people organizing the meeting that we would attend at 09:00 in the morning to carry out the first training activity within the framework of the anti-fascist project.


When we arrived at the factory we encountered the first obstacle. The shop stewards had informed the company that the action would start at 10am. In the end, due to space issues, we did not start until 10:30. 


On the other hand, there was another surprise: no trade union delegate from Solán de Cabras came, but two delegates from the same industrial estate, two trade union representatives (a man and a woman) from the Mercedes company, did attend. To this inconvenience I must add the detail that both the general secretary and the organising secretary of the CCOO Castilla La Mancha industry federation, i.e. experienced people and leaders, attended and participated in the training, distorting the training itself, something I will explain later on. 


So, after 10.30 in the morning, I  proceeded to follow the scheduled tabled but one hour and a half after. 


Adult learning is a self-directed process.

Malcolm Knowles




  1. Welcome and brief presentation of the objectives of the day. It was presented by a colleague in an agile and dynamic way.
  2. Presentation dynamic. In this dynamic, participants had to choose certain photographs that made them feel identified and that represented specific situations within Mahou.

Following the narrative

I chose this presentation method because I believe in learning through experience and because I really enjoy creating very empathetic environments.


Having to think and select one or two specific photographs and not others makes it easier to identify the person's name, and it also promotes reflection and empathy because you have to listen to what the other person is saying.


In this case, the participants shared deep experiences that led me to understand and perceive what their company meant to them and what common values they shared (solidarity, social justice).


After selecting one or two photographs, participants had to explain the reasons for their choice of photograph.


The difficulty we encountered here is that we had chosen photographs for both Mahou and Solán de Cabras workers; we had not foreseen any Mercedes workers. Obviously, the photographs representing Solán de Cabras were not chosen. 

What for? 

IMG_20230727_102948
IMG_20230727_103008
IMG_20230727_102951

The expectations

Afterwards, they had to explain what the expectations of the course were and express them in a post.-it. For this purpose, we had specifically designed a Mahou bottle in a large cardboard-stone format so that they could write on it. The expectations they presented were as follows:

CLICK TO KNOW MORE

To be able to use more and better arguments to fight the right or far right. 

Arguments as to why the working class buys into the discourse of the far right.

Causes why the working class loses its core values (comradeship and unity). 

Concrete practices to combat the reactionary wave in the workplace.

Tools for combating fascism.

Promoting and integrating diversity.

To be able to detect right-wing extremist attitudes and prevent the problem. 

How to convince the far-right voter: they are not your own.

Not to fall into despair and to gain oxygen to continue.

Tools to detect and combat hate speech.

Broadening diversity.

Internal coexistence with workers with xenophobic discourse.

THE EXPERT TIME


The resurgence of extremist discourses in Europe: Impact on democratic coexistence and challenges for the trade union movement


The resurgence of extremist discourses in Europe: Impact on democratic coexistence and challenges for the trade union movement. The planned interaction with the expert was supposed to be a bidirectional dialogue with the participants, 10 minutes of presentation and 5 minutes of interaction per topic to be developed so 45  minutes in total.The goal was to specifically explain how hate speech is constructed and what strategies are used on different platforms, starting with an initial historical explanation of what antifascism means. Although we had talked beforehand and he assured me he would conduct a participative talk, the truth is that he didn’t do it as he was talking  more than  45 minutes.



 This was something I wanted to avoid, a too long presentation from the expert, and although I tried to tell him he had to finish, I found it frankly difficult. He ignored my written messages and even when I tried to get him to look at me, he ignored me.He began by talking about the Spanish Civil War and fascism up to our days from a Marxist viewpoint, using very technical and philosophical language. For instance, there was a moment when he referred to the Chicago School. I felt that perhaps not all the workers had the political or theoretical education to absorb such complex information in just a few minutes. José Antonio is a very good expert and usually generates a lot of interaction with the participants, but he always speaks from memory and never brings any papers. As the explanation was prolonged, I became tense because I thought we would not finish in time since the training had to end at 1330 and there was no margin to be flexible because one of the colleagues who came with me had to return to Madrid.

What I have learned.

University lecturer in ETT1 talking to one of our Eurotrainers during ETT1 while we think in groups about the questions she asked us. Picture by Anna Kostetska

From a passive attitude to an active introspective reflection during at the ETT1.  Picture by Anna Kostetska

From this experience, I concluded that, for future occasions, if I have to work with this expert who is the person chosen by the organisation and quite reluctant to active pedagogy, it will be essential to prepare with him directed questions or hypothetical scenarios that encourage participation, but above all, give him more time, not to extend the theoretical part, but so that he can focus on formulating an interactive dialogue with the participants. In fact, in another training session with him, I have done this, and the result has been very positive. The subject of experts is something that I learned very positively when we were in ETT1. The expert who came gave us a practical example of how he once had a student who was able to get an A without attending class just because he used some good notes from a colleague. The expert then thought that his presence was not necessary and during the talk he gave us in ETT1 I understood how important it is to generate constant processes of interaction whith experts. 


ROLE PLAY TIME

Why?

 I chose the role-playing game because I believed it could be a powerful strategy when trying to understand how hate speech works, as participants have to immerse themselves in scenarios that simulate real-life situations, in a way that allows them to explore different perspectives and emotions

Other reasons why

By having to put themselves in someone else's shoes, empathy is fostered. It also generates critical reflection that facilitates pondering on one's own attitudes and biases. As they had to put themselves in the shoes of racist, homophobic, and sexist workers, participants can critically reflect on themselves and explore effective intervention strategies.

And...

Additionally, they could improve communication and argumentation skills by having to express their ideas and actively listen to others. As they also had to find a solution to the conflict, I thought it could be a good platform for the practice of intervention strategies and conflict resolution with respect to hate speech.

Since in the end there were not 30 participants, but approximately 12, I had to readjust the groups, assigning group A the migrant issue and group B the gender issue. To each group we assigned certain characters. The representation was quite successful. The conclusion reached by both groups was similar, that is, both groups turned to the union to solve the hypothetical problems that we had presented to them.I did not introduce the figure of observers who would make a presentation despite having it written in the Cocogram because we felt it was not necessary and I thought the two facilitators could do it. The truth is that it would have been preferable to have the observer figure.I improvised because I had planned for each group to make a presentation about what they had felt and discussed, but being so few participants, I thought it was better to do it in plenary. I believe that collective reflection is a very powerful tool to consolidate learning since it can bring other points of view, which can enrich the understanding of the topic in addition to fostering a sense of community and mutual support, considering also that there were two colleagues from Mercedes who openly shared how their company applauds far-right ideological stances.Despite the mistake, I realize that I put into practice what I learned in ETT2 and also during the work of the e-portfolio about the need for proper project planning and how to have an alternative plan if problems arise.

THE

OBSERVER

Since in the end there were not 30 participants, but approximately 12, I had to readjust the groups, assigning group A the migrant issue and group B the gender issue. We assigned specific characters to each group. The theatrical representation was quite successful. The conclusion reached by both groups was similar, that is, both groups turned to the union to solve the hypothetical problems we had presented to them.


I did not introduce the figure of observers who would make a presentation despite having it written in the Cocogram because we felt it was not necessary and I thought the two facilitators could handle it.

I improvised because I had planned for each group to make a presentation about what they had felt and discussed, but being so few participants, I thought it was better to do it in plenary. I believe that collective reflection is a very powerful tool to consolidate learning since it can bring other points of view, which can enrich the understanding of the topic in addition to fostering a sense of community and mutual support, considering also that there were two colleagues from Mercedes who openly shared how their company applauds far-right ideological stances.


Seeing how the dynamics developed, I believe that the figure of the observer was indeed necessary because we would have introduced someone whose main task was to observe, analyze, and reflect on the dynamics, discussions, and resolutions that arose during the activity, which would have provided me with a more objective and constructive analysis at the end of the session.

In any case, I believe that, over the months, what I learned in ETT1 and ETT2, as well as their intermediate seminars, have helped me understand how necessary it is to carry out proper project planning and how important it is to have an alternative plan if problems arise.



The observer slide if I had have to repeat the dynamic

NEGATIVE DISRUPTERS.

The training was attended by two people who are part of the union leadership in that region and from my point of view this was not at all positive because they did not allow the people who were quieter to speak and because they made people feel self-conscious. In addition, I observed how one of the leading cadres inadvertently made value judgements during the debate, showing opinions contrary to the objectives I had set ourselves. This is whatI call a negative disrupter or an obstructor.

Despite the difficulties in motivating people to speak, I found some responses from participants. 

-Unions do not know how to fight fake news effectively.

-The role of socialising the work and being able to work with objective information is very important. 

The words frustration, helplessness and propaganda around workers who present themselves as right-wing extremists was also an issue.

-It is necessary to link trade union action with training and culture. 

-It is important that we do not point the finger at the weakest, which is what the extreme right does with hate speech. 

-The ultra-right tries to sell the discourse that "we are not all equal", thus eliminating the concept of tribe.


At this stage of the debate, we were listening to the participants, both Celia (the other facilitator who came with me) and José Antonio and. During this phase of the debate, I had to gather the conclusions, but above all, what I was most interested in was knowing if in the end we were able to use more and better arguments to fight the right or far right as well as to give them tools to properly argue against these attitudes in both factories, Mahou and Mercedes, and to combat them.

At the beginning of the dynamic, I had asked them to hang their expectations on a foam board we had made for them and that, if at the end of the training, they considered that they had adequately understood how to combat hate speech, they should remove the post-its and take them home. Almost none of them removed the post-it, which led me to think that indeed, I had not been able to provide them with adequate conclusions and that the dynamic had not been appropriate because the objectives I had set were not met. I believe this is also because I had been working on this project for a very short time and not even I had been able to do a job of introspection, counter-argumentation, and deepening in the matter, which would have helped me guide the participants to understand what are the best tools and strategies available to combat hate speech.

Perhaps an external expert on this issue would have helped in this regard. At the time of teaching this course, I was not yet competent enough in the anti-fascist field to be able to draw firm and confident conclusions.


Mahou workers the 8th outside the factory celebrating the International Women's Day.

It also did not help having to finish at 1:30 pm sharp because the other facilitator, Celia, had to return to Madrid due to family reconciliation issues. (The Mahou production plant is located 50.2 kilometers from Madrid). I concluded that, for future similar dynamics, we had to have this issue much better planned.

In the end, I concluded that I would send them a form to fill in afterwards. It was July 27th, as we said, the eve of the holidays and with shop stewards who were focused on negotiating their collective bargaining agreement. So, there were many shop stewards who did not attend the training. It is not appropriate to tell them that we will send them the evaluation form because in the end I hardly got any responses. (so what kind of different evaluation?) 

It would have been much better to do a final round such as the so-called sentence completion to be able to collect the opinion of each member regarding the results of the group work done. This would have allowed me to know the achievements and deficiencies of the activities carried out.

The importance of reflection is one of the things I have learned more both at ETT1 and ETT2. I also learned that every person is different so timing for reflection is also different. 

Evaluation



The ADDIE model is one of the things that I have learned in ETT2 and I also learned during an active training course. 

In this group:

I learned______________________________________________

I already knew_____________________________________________

I was surprised by______________________________________

I was annoyed by________________________________________

I liked____________________________________________________

I didn't like_______________________________________________

I would like to know more about 


If possible, once all the sheets would have been collected, the answers given to each sentence are read aloud. The most relevant aspects of them are discussed.




As I came out of this training very dissatisfied, thinking that I had to change the dynamics. Role-playing is definitely not the right thing to do because given the complexity of properly identifying hate speech and how to combat it, it's necessary to engage in some form of dynamic that requires a deeper process of introspection and analysis. I think that analysis can play a key role in understanding the broader context within which hate speech operates, including its historical roots, its impact on society, and the mechanisms through which it spreads. By engaging in analysis, participants can develop strategies that address not only the symptoms of hate speech but also its root causes. 


At the time, after this experience , I decided that I had to change some things that we had to incorporate. Parallel to this dynamic, I was producing an interactive guide that gives guidelines on what are the elements that the extreme right uses to fuel hate speech. If I was able to spark reflection in the delegates and give them the tool, I would have planted a Seed.


So, I proposed to the working team:


Incorporate the dynamics with the guide developed or with elements of the guide as a theoretical basis. I believe the interactive guide complements and integrates perfectly with the dynamic I have corrected and adapted. After all, as adults, we need certain conceptual frameworks to direct the educational process, especially in something as complex as understanding the theoretical foundations that promote hate speech. I think that after a shared analysis dynamic like the one I have proposed from this experience, the guide serves as a complement. Moreover, the interactive guide is dynamic because it is made in a genially way so that participants or those who have access to it can access its theoretical content whenever they want. It can also be useful for those who want to delve a bit more into the topic and to mentally fix the concepts that have been worked on in the dynamic.


  1. Avoid such a high difference in levels. Union leaders at the same level with plenary dynamics distort. 
  2. It is not enough to give representatives a cocogram. Give them a written timetable so that the participants have it as a guide and can read what the objectives are. They should also be given the activity sheet for the exercise so that they can use it as a basis for their work. The dynamics that will be done from now on should be explained.
  3. Questions that can improve the guide or add additional elements to the guide should be incorporated in the concluding work and in the evaluation. 




Following this conclusion and a period of reflection, I designed a new dynamic that would be applied in September, in another course, also aimed at a company.


This time a company named Incarlopsa, which specializes in the packaging and cutting of Iberian ham. Thus, I invited the union section to participate in the dynamic. On this occasion, I was also accompanied by two colleagues. The theoretical explanation was lighter and more agile. Certain theoretical frameworks were simply established in which the reason why the union is anti-fascist was explained to them. This time, I arrived at the classroom in advance. The training room was not the best in the world, but I was able to arrange the tables into groups. Also, I had the names of the participants, so I placed a card with the name of each participant before they arrived in the class, ensuring as well that there was a good balance between women and men. The dynamic consisted of the following:


They had to choose a card at random. On the cards, there were hate speeches. They had to answer  the following questions:





  • What symptoms, symbols, or similar situations do you believe you have identified in your work or social environment that lead you to think that there is someone susceptible to using far-right discourses in the workplace?
  • How did you react?



Then, read again the sentence you have chosen (the one on the card or another) and analyze the discourse it contains (fallacy, exaggeration, or weak points).


Share the answers with your colleagues.



Now, based on your debate, develop a valid argument that dismantles the sentence you have chosen.



Name a person who will act as a spokesperson and summarize your discussion.

Duration:

45 minutes

Materials:


Flip chart. Colored markers. Personal experience.


The evaluation from the participants point of view

unsplash