On June 26th, Ian Greer, Director and Senior Research Associate of ILR Ithaca Co-Lab, Cornell University, was invited to give deliver the first lecture through Tencent live broadcast on the topic of "Labor Relation in 2020's Work Resumption under the Pandemic Context The :Unemployment Problem and the Role of Trade Unions under the Backdrop of COVID-19". The lecture was hosted by our school and co-organized by the Labor Relations Branch of China Human Resources Development(CHRD). School leaders Liu Xiangbing and Fu Deyin and President Feng Xiliang of the Labor Relations Branch of CHRD attended the lecture. More than 150 teachers, students and researchers also participated online.

In the lecture, Professor Ian Greer focused on three main issues: the reasons why American unions are relatively ineffective in unemployment, how American unions support the unemployed, and the strategic choice of American unions in dealing with unemployment in the current economic recession. He elaborated on the role and specific measures taken by American trade unions in coping with unemployment under COVID-19, and discussed some practical issues with the teachers and students. In the interactive session, Professor Wen Xiaoyi, Dean of the Department of Labor Relations and Human Resources, fully explained the actions of Chinese trade unions during COVID-19 as well as the employment priority strategy promoted by the Chinese government. The two sides also had exchanges and discussions on the role of trade unions in China and America, as well as measures taken by the two countries to promote employment.

The series lecture on "Labor Relation in 2020's Work Resumption under the Pandemic Context" was an academic exchange event that discussed the profound impact of COVID-19 on labor relations and the response strategies around the world, strengthened the initiative, enthusiasm and persistence in participation in international academic exchanges and dialogues, promoting the academic communication with overseas institutions and experts and scholars. From July to August, our school also invited experts and scholars from Russia, South Korea, Britain, Australia and other countries to deliver many insightful lectures.

Professor Ian Greer, Director and Senior Research Associate of ILR Ithaca Co-Lab, Cornell University, has worked in the UK for nearly a decade as Senior Research Associate at Business School of the University of Leeds and Professor of Comparative Employment and Director of the Centre for Work and Employment Studies at the University of Greenwich. And he was a visiting Professor in schools of Aix-En-Casan, Provence, Berlin, Jena, Cologne, Chemnitz, Sydney, Australia, etc. He has published more than 20 articles and more than 10 books, and has rich experience in teaching, lecturing and scientific research.

International Exchange and Cooperation Office, Department of Labor Relations and Human Resources