Trade Union Educators

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Comment by Stephen Smellie on September 27, 2010 at 10:27

UNISON Scotland's Learning &Organising Committee recently piloted a new course we have developed, Trade Unions and Politics. The aim was to introduce to UNISON activists why trade unions get into politics. We looked at the history of workers forming unions and seeing the need get involved in campaigns outside the workplace, ie. politics, through campaigning for union rights, health and safety, etc. We considered how unions can develop allies in the community and how to work with them. Whilst not promoting any political party we considered how UNISON works with different political parties in Scotland. The course didn't set out to tell people what their politics should be but focused on how we build support politically in communities, at national and international level for trade union policies. The first pilot went well with people enjoying it and wanting to find out more.
I wondered whether others had tried to run similar courses or had thoughts on how to interest union activists in politics - ie looking beyond the immediate workplace activity?

Comment by Trish Lavelle on September 25, 2010 at 9:36

Ironically, at times of economic difficulty my own experience is that Trade Union leaderships do exactly the same as their couterparts in big business - that is they cut the education and training budget. Or they seek to limit training to the so called 'bread and butter' issues of using a procedure or an agreement correctly. Broader educational programmes that look at society, equality, our history, political movements, even organising for goodness sake are relegated to the bottom of the heap and viewed as surplus to requirements.

So what does a committed labour movement educator do? I certainly make no apology for accessing state funding to support broader education for activists and our members, while the alternative scenario is that it wouldn't happen at all. There was a time in the 80s when state funded training through the TUC was all about partnership. Trade Unions voted with their feet and steered clear of this. So there will always be some deep and difficult conflicts in engaging with the state but if we don't continue to encourage activists to become governors of schools, to lead community training organisations and to divert funding for education from big business to working people, we miss amassive opportunity to increase working class participation and activism in society.

The longer term aim is of course to educate a generation of activists who value their education to the extent that they will actively support this education for others in the future. The thing is to make sure that the funding requirements match your principles and not vice versa. With care, that is still possible in the UK.

Comment by Lee Wakeman on September 24, 2010 at 20:02

As someone who can probably be described as a bureaucratic "educator" from the trade union movement (something I have struggled with!) I feel compelled to reply to Ira's comments around her view that there is mis-education within our movement.

The issue of bureaucracy within unions' has been considered for many years, analysed. The "bureaucracy finger pointing and wagging" is used as a way to attack union leaders from people who hold a "so-called" left position (I have been known to do the same!!).

Bureaucracy was most famously presented as "an iron law of oligarchy" by the philospher Robert Michels.

Surely, as Trade Union educators' we must ensure and assist the rank and file collectively to make union democracy not static but evolving making sure that an "iron law" that says bureaucracy is inevitable is not allowed to be.

Most unions have become bureaucratised and therefore seduced by the bait of collaboration with the bosses. However, they remain collective organisations which means there will always be worker participation and involvement. The benchmark of challenging bureaucracy has to be found (currently) in the theory of participative democracy. Of course, there are pressures towards oligarchy, bureaucracy and class collaboration. However I do not believe (or agree with Michels) that these pressures are inevitable or that true direct democracy cannot be achieved within current union structures. Perhaps inadequate democratic structures are at the heart of the challenges faced by the trade union movement today? But by understanding them and ensuring members of those unions understand them (through education??), I believe the challenge can be transformed into a benefit.

I also appreciate that the State isn't neutral and this is something we are at pains to teach our students. I equally appreciate that union education is far from perfect; we do our best within a fundamentally flawed system (capitalism). But unless and until the conditions exist to allow our class to sort that out; what's the alternative?

Comment by Ira M Wechsler on September 24, 2010 at 0:32

The 8 hour day movment started in the USA in the 1870's. It was the heros of Haymarket Square in Chicago who were martyred in the struggle. The first great black working class revolutionary was Albert Parsons who was in the leadership of the Chicago 8 hour day movement. The great tradition and honor of May Day was a tribute to these great fighters who certainly were not intimidated by the bosses' laws. Marx and the First international were committed to building the movement for communism and learned a great deal from the struggle in America. The communists with their strategic presence within the CIO
in the UAW , Rubber Workers Union, Steel workers, and General Electric, effectively led and won the fight for the 8 hour day in the midst of the Great Depression. Unfortunately their education of the workers was primarily reformist and not revolutionary. The trade union movement has no strategy internationally, its local strategies are for the most part inept and serve to stifle the initiatives of workers who want to fight capital. So-called leaders have often times never worked a day in their lives and are fla-waving national patriots. They are afraid of leading illegal strikes and afraid of going to jail. They are paper tigers. So what exactly are you educating workers about? Pablem to diffuse their anger and confuse their instincts to fight back? Do you teach real history of our violent struggles or hide these truths and stress non-violent struggle???

Comment by Ira M Wechsler on September 24, 2010 at 0:15

You should NOT want government money for trade union education, because the state is NOT neutral and there are all sorts of limitations like all education must stress legally accepted procedures. This mis-education that is rampant in the reformist trade union movement internationally ignores the reality the state apparatus their with all its armed bodies and judiciary to tamp down on class struggle. One surely sees the hypocritical and self-defeating non-violence that the legalities impose on us make it impossible to defend our class interests. The bureaucratic "educators" from the trade unions verse us in the ins and outs of grievance procedure, a mound of defecation that the bosses win 3 out of 4 times at least. i would prefer not having a contract , than to hamstrung by no-strike clauses and penalties for work-actions. We need less respect for the bosses' laws and more respect for the workers desire to be free from wage slavery.

Comment by Don Sutherland on September 23, 2010 at 13:05

Here is a link to the ABC Radio's podcast about the Australian origins of the 8 hour day: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/hindsight/ It's an inspiring story and part 2 is on Sunday and then is repeated the following Thursday. So, that's why workers have leisure time ... didn't the bosses just give it to them?

Comment by Linda Wentzel on September 15, 2010 at 20:01

Trish:
Thank you for sending the report: The Origin, role and Impact of Union Learning Representatives in the UK and Other Countries. I read it with great interest. The level of government support and funding seems to be much greater than what we are able to get in Canada. In my province, Nova Scotia there are grants that cover the cost of instructors but that's it. Unions and employers have to cover the rest.

I administer 2 small literacy projects, one of them has a part-time co-ordinator and 5 part-time Advocates. Their duties appear to be similar to the ULR. Our Advocates do not conduct learning needs assessments, they are conducted by provincial staff at the organizational level and class instructors at the individual level. The Advocates do not help members access funding either, there just isn't much to access. They do promote workplace and workforce learning programs, help unions and labour councils start programs and offer 2 workshops: 1)to union members who will sit on the joint committees that run the programs and 2) to adults returning to learning situations.

In Nova Scotia we also have another issue to get around (similar to your statement on uptake in large organizations compared to small and medium-sized)- 90% of workplaces are small(100 or less employees) and medium (500 or less). It's really hard to get employers to buy into workplace education programs. Our Advocates do have another option, labour councils can organize and run programs for multiple work sites. They are able to apply for the grants to pay instructors. We have developed a manual for labour councils that's available on line. It's called Organizing and Running a Workforce Education Program: A guide for labour councils. It's online at the National Adult Literacy Database http://www.nald.ca under learning resources.

I think we still a long way off when it comes to government recognition and funding of labour learning reps. It is certainly something to work toward.

Thanks again for the report.
In Solidarity,
Linda

Comment by Trish Lavelle on September 14, 2010 at 15:00

Thanks Don. The video is a realy useful resource for trade union education courses and a handy website as well.

Comment by Don Sutherland on September 12, 2010 at 10:09

This is a very good Australian web site on global rights at work, including access to an education resource DVD on Global Rights at Work.

Comment by Raj Gill on September 8, 2010 at 10:51

safety repa online!
http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/education/learn-2284-f0.cfm

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