The IBM strike of September 2007 was historic because it didn't really happen. That is to say it actually took place in virtual-reality. Real-life IBM workers in Italy were engaged in protracted negotiations that had hit an impasse, so they called for a mass picket at IBM's virtual-world campus in Second Life. An estimated 1,500 avatars from around the world assembled there for 12 hours of peaceful picketing; non-existent people picketing the non-existent premises of a non-existent business in a non-existent world. How very 21st century.

Striking avatars gather at IBM's facility in Second Life

The real-life impact of the strike is disputed. IBM maintained that the subsequent departure of IBM Italy CEO Andrea Pontremoli to "pursue other interests" was entirely unconnected with the day of action, but the union has no such doubts. They cite an alleged complaint from the IBM parent company in America to IBM Italy about the negative publicity that had been generated and point out that it was his departure that led to the breakthrough in negotiations and the signing of a new agreement. They claim this happened because of the strike.

As strikes go though, it wasn't in the same league as Grunwick, a sometimes violent mass picket outside a photo-processing plant in London in 1976. So for the layman, what was going on?

"Second Life" is a virtual-reality world, a metaverse in the jargon. Anybody can sign up, free of charge, and become a "Resident" as they are called. You are represented in that world by an avatar which you can make to look like anything, you can even clothe it as you wish. It moves around, under your control, on islands with streets and buildings. If you pay a small amount of real-world US dollars into your account you can buy land and build your own property there. That's what IBM have done, along with a number of other real-world companies and a few real-world countries that have opened official embassies in Second Life. There are a lot of small traders there too, selling everything from building services to help you build your own home, to shops selling fashion clothing to dress your avatar. Again, if you pay some real-world US dollars into your account you can pay for these services for as little as a few cents to as much as a few dollars. But those few cents can add up for a successful trader, and they can withdraw their virtual profits back into the real-world as real US dollars again.

IBM, and companies like them, are investing in Second Life to explore opportunities in this cutting-edge social experiment. They also want to develop a reputation for innovation with leading developers and opinion-formers, so bad news in this forum undermines all that effort.

You can find the Union's brief report, and some photos of placard-carrying avatars, here:

http://www.uniglobalunion.org/UNIIBITSn.nsf/0/270907_EN_A5

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