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In March 2024, PSAC’s Social Justice Fund resumed its annual worker education program after a four-year pause due to the pandemic. PSAC members and young workers travelled to Guatemala’s highlands to participate in the 14th Education-In-Action delegation — an annual project led by PSAC’s Social Justice Fund in partnership with the solidarity organization Education In Action.
PSAC participants share their experiences and insights from meeting with leading human rights organizations who are fighting for justice and demanding accountability for crimes against humanity committed during Guatemala’s civil war. They also recount the resilience of rural communities mobilizing to protect their land and water as fundamental rights, and the determination of indigenous coffee producers who, despite the pressures of a competitive international market, have created a successful fair-trade cooperative producing Café Justicia.
Is organic certification worth the cost for small-scale coffee farmers?
By Addison Herman
Addison Herman is the local president for CEIU Local 630 in Ottawa/Gatineau. He is the co-chair of the PSAC Young Workers Committee for the National Capital Region and sits on the CEIU National Young Workers Commitee.
Healing through justice: the ongoing work of FAMDEGUA in Guatemala
By Carlos Gardella
Carlos Gardella is the chief shop steward for UNDE Local 30910 in Medicine Hat, Alberta. He is also the Chair of PSAC’s Human Rights Committee in Calgary and Southern Alberta.
Water Scarcity: An Issue That Connects Us All
By Sukhpal
Sukhpal is a member of CEIU Local 30856.
Background on Education in Action
Since 2007, the PSAC Social Justice Fund has supported the annual Education-In-Action (EIA) delegation as part of its worker education program, bringing PSAC members to Guatemala to work with and learn from grassroots organizations empowering communities.
The program’s goals are to engage PSAC members through direct action, deepen their understanding of Guatemalan struggles, and build solidarity with Mayan communities — especially with the Campesino Committee of the Highlands (CCDA) and grassroot organizations defending the rights of Indigenous peoples, women, workers, and land defenders. This year, the delegation also contributed to the construction of a community hall in San Gregorio, a new space for gathering and organizing.
The solidarity built between PSAC members and these Guatemalan partner organizations highlights the importance of the Social Justice Fund’s work to support communities striving for a sustainable life rooted in equality, access to education, land, and potable water. Since 2007, over 80 PSAC members from across Canada have volunteered their time to join an EIA delegation. Upon returning, most PSAC members continue to advocate for human and labour rights, support social justice initiatives, and bring these learnings to their union and communities — amplifying the impact of PSAC’s Social Justice Fund.
This project was founded by activist and PSAC member Roberto Miranda (1955-2011) who wanted to give union members a unique opportunity to learn from and work with CCDA communities and farmers. Since 1982, the CCDA — a grassroots, Indigenous-led cooperative — has defended the economic, social, and cultural rights of the Mayan people, advocating for equitable land distribution, promoting sustainable agricultural, and empowering women economically. The CCDA also produces the fair trade coffee, Café Justicia.
