Songs of power, songs of hope

The Victorian Trades Union Choir keeps an old tradition alive. By Mark Phillips

SONG has long been one of the most potent weapons in the labour movement’s armoury.

Whether it be the rousing singalong of ‘Solidarity Forever’, Bruce Springsteen’s low-key ‘Factory (the Working Life)’, or the hymn-like South African anthem, ‘Nkosi sikelei I’Afrika’, music and song has inspired and united multiple generations of working people in their struggles against oppression and inequality, and their fights for justice and freedom.

The enduring power of songs like ‘We Shall Not Give Up the Fight’ or ‘The Internationale’ means they are still heard on picket lines and at protests today.

Music is part of the labour movement’s tradition . . . but like many traditions, it is in danger of being lost in today’s frenetic, hyper-connected, live-for-the-moment society.

The Victorian Trades Union Choir is swimming against that tide. It is a busy and active group that is determined to pass on the tradition of song to new generations.

Songs that have not dated

Formed in 1990, the VTUC is a regular sight at rallies, protests, strikes, marches, and events like Workers’ Memorial Day.

Two years ago, the choir’s musical director, Michael Roper, got together with playwright and director Rebecca Lister to conceive an hour-long show based around its repertoire.

More than just a concert, I’ll Be There is a cabaret-style show that weaves 16 songs into personal stories from the choir members singing them.

The show was first debuted at the Melbourne Trades Hall in 2012, and later performed at Melbourne’s legendary La Mama Theatre.

Now the VTUC is seeking to raise $5000 through a Pozible campaign to take the show on the road in regional Victoria.

Mr Roper said the intention behind I’ll Be There was to place the songs in a human context through choir members telling stories about their own working lives and experiences as union members.

“We have found that when we sing our songs, they have a certain impact, especially traditional songs like ‘The Internationale’ or ‘Solidarity Forever’,” he said.

“The words actually don’t date, they talk about things that are continual issues that come up for people year after year after year.

“What we find is the more context you put on that song, the more focus it puts on the words. By giving a personal context, the choir member is telling about some part of their life, and then singing the song, we’re drawing the connection much more directly between the meaning of the words and this person’s life.

“Really, what we’re trying to do, and it has been successful, is we’re trying to explain what unionism is, but explain it by this is the life of this person and this person and this person.”

Making unionism accessible

Ms Lister agrees that the importance of the show lies in making the experience of unionism accessible to the audience through songs and stories.

“We’re hoping that it enables people to understand the long and rich history of the union movement and the working life of this country. So many of us the way that we work and operate is based on what went before us [such as] the eight hour working day . . . and I think a lot of those stories have the potential to be lost so we’re hoping to keep them alive and relevant.

“And also I think a lot of people will know the songs and that means they engage [with them].

“And it’s a good night out.”

Mr Roper said some of the songs in the show are well over 100 years old, but are still relevant to modern working life, and the choir attempts to draw a connection between historic struggles and the campaigns of today.

“The whole fantastic history of progressive unions and incredible achievements that we had in the 19th century and early on is really not celebrated enough, and it’s part of our role to talk about that,” he said.

The Victorian Trades Union Choir is always looking for new members. The only requirement is to be a union member, whether current, retired or unemployed. More information is available from the choir’s Facebook page.

Mark Phillips is editor of Working Life

Published on 25 July 2014.