It is with great sadness that we inform you of the sudden death from illness of Kate Elliott, our freelance union trainer, on July 4th 2020. Kate engaged with the European affiliates of FIA, FIM, EFJ and EURO MEI in the context of our recent EU-funded project on Organising and Representing Atypical Workers.
Kate was responsible for training unions in Serbia, Sweden and Slovenia and brought energy and dedication to that work. She also engaged with the wider community of affiliates in the panels and workshops she ran at the two project events in Rotterdam in 2018 and in Dublin in February 2020. The project had been an opportunity for the Federations and their affiliates to get to know Kate, her dedication, her commitment and her always kind and hands-on approach to union work.
Arising from the work done by Kate and by the two additional trainers Becky Wright and Tara O’Dowd in the framework of the project, we have produced a Handbook on Trade Union Organising in the Media, Arts and Entertainment Sector, to be launched on July 13th. Kate made a real difference to the unions she trained and we are glad at least that her words and photos, drawn from that experience, are included in the handbook; a testimony to her talent. We have dedicated the handbook to her memory.
Kate Elliott is a sad loss to the trade union community in the Media, Arts and Entertainment sector, which she had always worked to develop and support, for the betterment of the workers in the sector. Our thoughts are with her friends and family and we extend our sincerest condolences to them.
