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Learning to organise

30 April 2008

PCS education and learning officer Pav Alam looks at how and why to integrate learning with our wider efforts to organise workers and build union strength.

PCS now has more than 1,400 union learning reps (ULRs) engaged in a range of projects, helping our members develop new skills and increase their confidence and self esteem.

We have recognised there are issues around the integration of this work with other union activity, as borne out in research for the TUC in March 2007 by the Working Lives Research Institute.

This has been reflected in our national organising strategy since 2004, and motion A78 at last year’s annual conference recognised that ULRs can play a ‘key role in developing support for wider union campaigns and in recruitment’.

The proposed evaluation of learning services in our 2008 national organising strategy – covering a range of issues including expanding the ULR network, raising the profile of training as a bargaining issue and opening up opportunities for members to gain new skills – will continue that process.

The TUC research revealed numbers of ULRs across many unions had fallen after a steady year-on-year increase, and evidence pointed to the failure to integrate learning into broader union work.

The report indicated learning was often a parallel activity that in some cases had little or no connection with the other forms of activity such as negotiating for better terms and conditions, improving union organisation, campaigning and political work.

Tap into activity

There are those who do not regard the ‘learning agenda’ as a trade union issue and, to put it bluntly, see it as doing the employer’s job. On the flipside, there are ULRs who do not associate themselves with the rest of the branch.

But it is a mistake to set one form of activity against the other. At the least we should respect any form of learning that develops skills and improves members’ confidence and motivation. We know individual members and employers benefit; what about the union?

If we fail to tap into an area of activity and use members’ increased confidence and skills to our benefit, we are missing an opportunity. We should be asking members: what can you do for the union, now the union has helped you?

This doesn’t mean asking them to become a rep the day after they finish a course. But increased confidence could get them to talk about what they learned and how it helped. Relaying this to members, potential members and managers increases the union’s profile.

This may lead them to ask questions at team meetings about policies on relocation or job cuts. If this leads to others asking these questions, it becomes a form of collective action. We can build on these small steps to create a more active membership.

Our assistant general secretary Chris Baugh said: “A large proportion of ULRs are new to union activity and, for many members, contact with their ULR is their first or main contact with PCS. This creates excellent organising opportunities. Learning is increasingly part of the negotiating agenda – groups are being encouraged to negotiate learning agreements which commit the employer to supporting ULRs and to provide training opportunities for members.”

Come together, right now

The TUC research identified ‘little concrete evidence of strategic attempts by unions to link union learning with recruitment and organising’. It is not something that just happens naturally; activists have to work together.

This means organisers working closely with learning project workers and ULRs to help identify organising opportunities for the branch, and ULRs informing branch and group committees of learning activity taking place.

It will be up to branch or group executives to look at organising opportunities and allocate resources accordingly. They should also look to work with other branches and source support from their regions and HQ.

Learning provides a positive profile of the union but we need to measure how this builds the union in terms of recruitment of members and activists, and increased activity among members.
 

Career development, learning new skills and job related training are key industrial issues which can relate directly to our members’ capability to do their jobs and their long-term job security.

Historically employers sought to prevent unions from raising this, but this can no longer be acceptable. Accessibility to training and development can also be an equality issue, where lack of provision may impact harder on women, black, LGBT, older and disabled members.

Recently young members in the Ministry of Justice highlighted lack of training as a campaigning issue. Reps responsible for negotiating should be ensuring the government’s commitment to skills is being followed through and evidence of its delivery is being provided.

Learning reps are activists too

Trade unionists have long held strong beliefs about the basic right to a free education, particularly for working class communities. Tuition fees, academies and private sector involvement in education are all big political issues which we are right to oppose.

Yet we seem to have a more lukewarm approach to learning opportunities at work. Employers may be looking to create more wage slaves to make us more competitive in the global economy but if we help shape workplace learning, we can use it to help build our union. In 2006 a local dispute in a Royal Mail office led to an unofficial walkout by union members – led by the recently elected branch ULR.

We have a fresh opportunity to develop this area of work with the new union learning fund project bid. If full-time and lay organisers, project workers and ULRs work more closely with groups, fully supported by senior full-time officers, our activity can be more closely linked and measured.

All activists need to be aware that increased activity can lead to a new generation that will sustain and increase the influence of our union in many years to come.

Action: what can we do?

Learners

  • Communicate benefits and experiences to other members, potential members and line managers via team meetings

ULRs

  • Communicate learners’ experiences to other members and reps through face to face or workplace meetings and local newsletters/briefings
  • Ensure a regular learning report is given at branch committee meetings
  • Recruit non-members via learning as a planned activity

Branches

  • Elect ULRs onto branch committees to recognise their importance
  • Develop a bargaining agenda for learning
  • Elect a branch learning coordinator to act as focal point for ULRs
  • Branch learning coordinators should signpost training, shadowing and mentoring

Group executives

  • Nominate a GEC member with responsibility for learning
  • Develop and promote learning as bargaining and campaigning issues

Activists

  • Raise awareness of learning opportunities for members
  • Demonstrate benefits for members
  • Counteract barriers from employers
  • Ensure employers are fulfilling their ‘skills pledge’ and implementing action plans

Negotiators

  • Is there a training and development policy being implemented?
  • Are PDP objectives in the appraisal system being enacted?
  • Are skills for life action plans being implemented?
  • Can the employer demonstrate equal (non-discriminatory) access to learning?
  • Has the employer policy been subject to an equality impact assessment?
  • Are adequate training and support given in poor performance/capability cases?

Case study: building the branch

Since last year’s learning at work day at Tate Britain, there has been a significant increase in members – around 15%.

Union learning rep Russell Carr believes this has been largely due to the union’s learning agenda. New members have been recruited from KGB Services and Mitie, that provide cleaning and security services.

As the workforce is predominantly migrant workers many have taken up courses at our learning centre in the London and south east regional office, including English as a second language.

Russell believes the increased activity around learning has generated more interest in our union. “Our activities at Tate Britain, whether providing information related to learning or actual courses themselves, have undoubtedly raised our union’s profile across most sections of the
Tate’s workforce,” he said.

“This has led to increased membership, an enhanced branch executive committee and more rank and file members taking up learning opportunities.”

Two members have recently taken up the roles of equality officer and green rep and Russell’s also hopeful of persuading one of the KGB members to become a rep.

This shows how promoting learning in the workplace can have seen a significant impact on membership and activity.

For information contact:

Pav Alam, education and learning officer

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