General Council Report - Chapter 10
chapter 10 the regional dimension
10.1 Introduction
The launch of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly, the election of a London Mayor and more recent steps towards devolution in the English regions have all underlined the case for the TUC and unions to sharpen strategy and build capacity at a regional level.
In December 2000, the TUC regional offices were restructured to maximise new opportunities to shape the political and economic landscapes of the regions and Wales, for example by: securing additional regional funding for the fast growing agenda on learning and skills; establishing task groups on key issues of concern, such as manufacturing; and allocating overall office responsibility for strategic direction in the regions to the regional secretaries.
This chapter reports on action and organisation in the regions, including the re-launch of the TUC Regional Education Service, TUC Regional Councils, Trades Union Councils and Unemployed Workers Centres.
10.2 The TUC Education Service
In the last ten years, TUC Education has trained more than 300,000 union representatives in the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to make a difference for people at work. It has given a new start to thousands of learners who missed out at school and who have gone on to achieve their full potential at university or in career development. Standards have been levered up through the introduction of competencies and accreditation and significant contributions to key trade union campaigns have been made. Expanding the training programme for union representatives - and ensuring that training is designed and delivered to meet the demands of the modern world of work - remains a top priority for the TUC. TUC Education relaunches this year as a flexible service with a new e-learning capability which can deliver to trade union reps wherever they are and whenever they want.
The Core Programme
The TUC runs a fully accredited national education programme which offers training to more than one in eight of the UK’s 220,000 union workplace representatives each year. Course enrolments have risen slightly against the 1999 Congress year figures, despite the difficulties faced by many trade union representatives in obtaining paid release for training and despite the continuing decline in heartland industries such as manufacturing. The figures for 2000 show a continuing and steady demand for the range of core courses, a small increase in health and safety students and a developing learning representatives’ programme. The access programme continues to grow in popularity, particularly the Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health and the short course provision continues to attract a range of learners.
The progression routes the TUC has put in place are being developed and there has been an emphasis on the infrastructure of the programme with new college partnerships being formed and established partnerships refreshed. The accreditation of TUC courses is a continuing success with high rates of take up and achievement.
Short courses remain an important feature of the programme in supporting national TUC priorities and the work of affiliates, and there has been a further increase in the numbers of students attending short courses. A range of issues have been covered, including the Employment Relations Act, Discipline, Grievance and the Right to be Accompanied, Data Protection, Winning the Organised Workplace, Asthma, Bodymapping, Violence at Work, Risk Assessment, Manual Handling, and Best Value. A substantial programme of short courses on the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations continues to be a priority. An emerging area of work is that of company-specific courses for union representatives and joint courses for union representatives and managers, part funded by employers. TUC Education will be working to give a higher profile to this area of provision and to integrate it into the work of the Partnership Institute.
The TUC Education Service depends on partnerships and, during a time of limited resources and increasing demands, the long standing link with Colleges of Further Education and the Workers Educational Association have made it possible to maintain and extend the resource base for trade union education. Trade Union Studies Units are now at the heart of wider college structures with considerable mutual benefits and the TUC continues to enjoy positive professional relationships with College managers and tutors. The TUC wishes to record its appreciation of the significant contribution made by colleges, the Workers Educational Association, their staff and those trade unionists who serve on TUC Education Advisory Committees and regional Learning Services Task Groups in maintaining and developing the TUC Education Service.
The TUC also wishes to record its appreciation to the National Open College Network (NOCN) for the work undertaken in partnership to ensure that the accreditation of the programme continues to meet the rigorous quality assurance demands without sacrificing sensitivity and flexibility. This has been particularly important this year, as much work has gone into re-accrediting the programme and redesigning the units offered to reps as part of the five year cycle of re-examination which forms part of the awarding body’s quality mechanisms.
The TUC continues to play an active role as a partner in the Employment National Training Organisation (Employment NTO, formerly EOSC) and has been involved in the restructuring of the standards framework across the employment field.
TUC Education Relaunch
Events
- Relaunch party for trade union education professionals, addressed by Malcolm Wicks, Minister for Adult Learning, TUC President and General Secretary and Dawn Livingston, TUC Tutor. Music by leading British jazz musician, Courtney Pine
- Awaydays for trade union National Education Officers to consider professional practice around a number of key themes:
- E-Learning
- Partnership and the work of the Partnership Institute
- Promoting equality
- Work-life balance
- Regional relaunch events in Manchester, the Midlands, London, Lewes, Glasgow, Tonbridge, Newcastle and other major centres
- National awayday for Course Co-ordinators
- Products
- Online versions of a range of TUC courses, including Stages 1 and 2 Health and Safety, Health and Safety Awareness, the Certificate Course in Occupational Safety and Health, Tackling Racism and Stage 1 Union Representatives.
- An annual prospectus for trade union education, Learning with the TUC
- New course publicity
- Certificate in Contemporary t rade u nionism
- New stewards’ starter pack
- Learning Online, a new module to prepare for e-learning
TUC Education relaunched
Much of this year had been focussed on preparing TUC Education to respond to the Millennial Challenge set by the 1999 Congress by equipping itself to reach trade union reps who have difficulty accessing the service because of release problems, family responsibilities or work patterns. The target of one million new members in five years set by the General Secretary at Congress 1999 demands a complementary target for the recruitment and development of new workplace representatives. The maintenance of the current membership/union ratio alone would see an additional 36,000 new reps with training needs over the five-year period. Those new reps will increasingly be drawn from parts of the economy where work is not structured in a predictable pattern, where release is harder to obtain and where the training is fitted around a matrix of work, family and community responsibility. The relaunch of TUC Education begins to address these issues.
Funding of TUC Education
A new funding formula to support the work of TUC Education will come into effect in August 2002. This follows two years of grant-based support from the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), which has meant that the TUC no longer needs to pass on commissioned course fees to affiliates. The new arrangements will open up new opportunities for unions and the TUC to access training for union reps and to expand to meet the growing needs of union reps. Work is in progress to maximise the potential such support would offer, including the development of new products. Research has been commissioned to consider the potential for a national framework for trade union education to bring together the resources of the TUC and unions to maximise effectiveness and avoid duplication.
TUC Education Online
The potential impact of e-learning is much discussed and a number of critical questions remain to be addressed on implementation and effectiveness. However, its huge potential cannot be denied and for trade union education, the prospect of delivering training to a generation of reps and potential reps unable to access classroom provision and to offer supplementary training to experienced union reps is an exciting one. TUC learners can now work wholly or partly online to access the same accredited courses available in the classroom and can do so from home, from work or from learning centres. Over 200 union reps are currently working online during the pilot phase, undertaking the core health and safety programme, the TUC Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health and a range of shorter courses. Online versions of the full curriculum will be available over the next year. TUC Education has continued to use trade union education practitioners as curriculum developers rather than contract the work to a software house and this has meant a steep learning curve for tutors, however, it has also ensured continuity of approach with classroom methods and maintained the quality and credibility of the programme. This is an ambitious project, which will take time to complete, but it puts TUC Education in the forefront of developments in a new field. Areas in development include:
- An approach to paid release for e-learning
- Tutor development through the LeTTOL (Learning to Teaching Online) programme
- A Tutors’ Guide to TUC Education online
- Research work on learning styles, carried out by the Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth
- Accreditation online, working with the National Open College Network (NOCN).
- E-mail and website advertising of course programmes.
- Support packages for workplace representatives
Progression
For many thousands of working people, TUC Education is a passport to self-confidence and new learning opportunities. According to TUC - commissioned research, nearly four out of ten of TUC Education participants left full-time education with no qualifications and eight out of ten of them now felt confident to go on to further education and training.
The TUC offers three longer programmes of study, the Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health, the Certificate in Information Technology and the Certificate in Contemporary Trade Unionism. All are accredited as access courses. The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has recognised the Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health as satisfying the academic requirements for entry to the Technician Safety Practitioner (TechSP) grade of IOSH membership, on a par with the NEBOSH Diploma Part 1. Since September 1999, when this route opened up, 132 safety reps have been admitted to IOSH by this route and a further four safety reps have gone on to achieve MIOSH, the graduate level award. A new Certificate in Employment Law is in development and will be launched in 2001.
New pathways for union representatives are opening up through two new degree courses: a BA in Contemporary Trade Unionism (Middlesex University) and a BA in Community Studies (with a Social and Labour Studies pathway, offered by the University of Wales). Both offer access through TUC/NOCN accreditation and integration of early parts of the degree through the Certificate programme and modules are offered as minors in Business Studies degrees.
Work-life balance
TUC Education is contributing to an innovative new project exploring a partnership and problem-solving approach to positive flexibility at work. A new education publication, Changing Times, targeted at union reps and managers who wish to work in partnership to develop and implement strategies for work-life balance is being piloted in 16 courses across the country. The importance of positive flexibility at work in making lifelong learning a reality has emerged as a theme of the project. A tutor briefing was held to enable tutors to contribute to and become familiar with the publication.
Equalities
Equality is a key theme integrated in all areas of the TUC Programme with a particular focus on tutor development. It forms part of the external accreditation of TUC tutors and every opportunity is taken to mainstream equality issues within the programme as well as the more specific courses on race, gender, disability etc. The Stephen Lawrence Task Group gave TUC Education an opportunity to take a fresh look, particularly at its structures, given that only seven per cent of reps attending TUC courses are from a major ethnic minority group. One priority has been to step up action and initiatives on developing black tutors to build support for trade union education amongst black activists and members. To date, 91 trade union activists have been trained on ‘Discussion Leader’ courses in Birmingham, Cardiff, Barnsley and London and a further 40 have progressed to the full Tutor Training course. Further programmes are planned over the next twelve months. Regional Education Officers and Course Co-ordinators are mentoring and supporting further development and experience.
In the light of the activities of far-right groups and the consequent disturbances in the North West, Yorkshire and other parts of the UK, TUC Education issued a guidance note for TUC tutors to support activities with union reps in combating racism at work and in the community.
As part of the TUC’s contribution to the launch of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC), TUC Education developed a short activity pack and action plan to accompany the DRC video 'Talk', which was then offered in a one hour session to all TUC students over a term. Around 10,000 union reps will have worked through the ideas and activities contained within the pack.
The TUC Education approach to equalities in the classroom and in materials development is being fundamentally considered through a series of tutor events and development workshops. Refreshing the approach is a priority, particularly in the areas where trade union intervention is less confident such as sexual orientation. New support materials for tutors are in development and a strategy for updating and refreshing tutors is in place.
Health and Safety Course Development
TUC Education provided training for 8,582 safety representatives this year, and health and safety training remains central to its work. Much has been invested in redeveloping the programme and the focus is now on broadening the reach of training opportunities for safety reps through online and flexible provision and through new ‘starter’ packs for new safety reps.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) support has assisted in the development of online materials which will be refined in the coming year and will be offered to all unions. TUC Education delivered a seminar to HSE officials on the project and its outcomes.
New materials on asthma and bodymapping were developed and a project undertaken for the HSE as part of a drive to improve safety in quarries has produced new materials and over 20 courses for union reps and managers.
Funding has been secured to maintain the TUC Education Service’s Health and Safety website for a further year. It is designed to support the work of TUC tutors but is freely available to safety representatives on the main TUC website. It contains up-to-date news, information and contacts, access to useful sites such as the HSE and the EU Health and Safety Agency, the full updated version of Hazards at Work online etc.
A new study into the impact of trade union education and training in health and safety on the workplace activity of health and safety representatives was completed and a short, accessible version has been published.
As part of the drive to broaden the range of safety reps who can access TUC training, TUC Education has secured extra resources to train 100 health and safety tutors.
Tutor development
Six national tutor training courses were held this Congress year, bringing around 86 new tutors into the Programme as well as training a further 37 in health and safety. 47 per cent of those trained are women and 30 per cent are from black or ethnic minorities. A new Tutor Training Programme, Development Opportunities for TUC Tutors, was launched, offering a range of courses including Work-life Balance, Promoting Equality in the Classroom and Writing for the TUC.
Tutors have been acquiring skills in teaching online and are encouraged to take the LeTTOL course through The Sheffield College.
A national tutor network on partnership has been established which meets three times each year to spread good practice, advice and information and to liaise with the Partnership Institute on developments.
A national Awayday for Course Co-ordinators was held to plan the re-launch year.
The union learning representative
The TUC Education Service has a significant role in delivering the Learning Services agenda, in particular the training, supporting and standards setting for the union learning representative. The statistics for 2000 show that TUC Education trained 1,470 learning reps, an increase of nearly 300 on the previous year. This indicates that the role of the learning rep is taking shape and becoming embedded in union reps’ core activities.
European partnerships
The TUC Education Service continues to be involved in transnational work that reflects TUC priorities. It provides trade union studies tutors for courses and projects organised through the European Trade Union College (ETUCO/AFETT) and for a range of projects in Central and Eastern Europe.
TUC Education manages two European Information projects part-funded by the European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture, one based in the Midlands and one in Greater London.
International work
Internationalism remains a key theme of much of the work of the TUC Education Service. A tutor training course, Globalisation and Trade Union Education was organised with Labour and Society International (LSI). The course considered developments in the agenda, the work of the Department for International Development and the potential for integrating this work into mainstream courses. Trades union studies tutors continue to contribute to the work of the TUC European Union and International Relations Department and to that of the Commonwealth TUC through projects across the world.
TUC Education Service Statistics 2000
Table 1: Union workplace representatives: Courses 2000
Region Union officials Safety Specialist Short
representatives courses courses Totals
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 1 Stage 2
South & East 60 19 67 40 11 366 563
South West 13 6 28 12 19 158 236
West Midlands 30 14 27 17 26 125 239
East Midlands 18 5 19 9 9 113 173
Yorks & Humberside 21 10 26 9 22 75 163
North West 60 24 71 43 30 498 726
Northern 14 5 15 6 9 49 98
Wales 14 6 18 12 3 78 131
Scotland 21 4 27 10 2 76 140
Northern Ireland 4 0 4 3 1 17 29
Totals 255 93 302 161 132 1555 2498
Table 2: Union workplace representatives: Students 2000
Region Union officials Safety Specialist Short
representatives courses courses Totals
Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 1 Stage 2
South & East 763 154 1017 449 172 5070 7625
South West 157 81 329 121 207 1898 2793
West Midlands 402 128 346 173 230 1595 2874
East Midlands 195 44 240 80 85 1109 1753
Yorks & Humberside 326 123 377 120 379 1127 2452
North West 609 200 799 362 285 5696 7951
Northern 156 43 222 72 161 638 1292
Wales 161 93 214 131 33 1264 1896
Scotland 258 39 429 136 25 987 1874
Northern Ireland 45 0 48 27 12 164 296
Totals 3072 905 4021 1671 1589 19548 30806
Women 31.9% 27.9% 30.0% 25.3% 31.3% 35.3% 33.1%
Table 3: Short course students by Generic Course Title 2000
Generic Title Students
Learning Representatives 1470
Industrial Relations/Collective Bargaining 2863
Health & Safety 2890
Induction 2346
Equality 1682
Skills 3217
Other 5080
TOTAL 19548
*Other courses include those organised in response to union requests.
Table 4: TUC Day Release and Short Courses Provision 1990 - 2000
Year Union Officials Health & Safety Follow-on/Specialist Short Courses Evening Classes Totals
Stage 1 & 2 Stage 1 & 2
Courses Students Courses Students Courses Students Courses Students Courses Students Courses Students
1990-91 613 6794 581 6741 83 809 1340 15529 2617 29873
1991-92 546 6454 543 6635 95 1014 1329 16402 2513 30505
1992 512 6045 521 6457 101 1035 1198 15549 2332 29086
1993 394 4728 523 6775 110 1268 1380 18209 2407 30980
1994 401 4520 498 5988 98 1013 1088 14036 80 1054 2165 26611
1995 395 4503 472 5733 118 1335 900 10496 84 967 1969 23034
1996 373 4201 496 5712 165 1812 955 8570 138 2646 2127 22941
1997 330 3703 456 5740 182 1916 1023 11377 263 3115 2254 25851
1998 340 3980 485 5788 170 1697 1121 13442 332 4187 2448 29094
1999 345 4102 443 5375 194 2029 1287 14801 336 4205 2605 30512
2000 348 3977 463 5692 132 1589 1182 15079 373 4469 2498 30806
Note: The statistical information from 1992 onwards relates to the calendar year, whereas in previous years it was reported on a fiscal year basis.
Evening Classes were provided prior to 1994 but details were not recorded.
Table 5: Percentage Take-up of Places on TUC 10-day and short courses 2000
(Unions with 0.5 per cent and upwards of total affiliated members)
Total Affiliated Membership 6,816,971
Total Number of Students Attending TUC Day-Release Courses 11,258
Total Number of Students Attending TUC Short Courses 19,548
Union % of total % take-up of TUC course places:
TUC membership 10-day courses Short courses
UNISON 18.66 24.89 25.19
T&G 12.78 10.31 2.75
AEEU 10.67 7.77 3.44
GMB 10.18 7.78 9.77
MSF 6.10 4.13 3.08
USDAW 4.54 4.14 6.47
CWU 4.13 3.41 2.25
PCS 3.79 7.54 5.35
NUT 2.95 0.31 0.26
GPMU 2.95 4.71 1.24
NASUWT 2.65 0.30 0.32
UNIFI 2.51 1.03 0.75
UCATT 1.80 2.28 0.66
ATL 1.69 0.11 0.10
IPMS 1.09 0.82 0.14
NATFHE 0.94 0.97 2.09
RMT 0.81 5.23 0.54
FBU 0.76 1.63 10.31
ISTC 0.75 0.79 0.06
EIS 0.75 0.09 0.03
AUT 0.62 0.29 0.01
Equity 0.51 0.00 0.00
10.3 Regional reports
Introduction
With the growing regional agenda involving devolved assemblies, regional development agencies and local learning and skills councils, the TUC in the regions has been increasing its capacity to engage with regional decision-making. TUC regional offices have also supported the work of affiliated unions to recruit and organise new groups of workers and to build links with local communities.
Devolved Government
The TUC has continued to co-ordinate the work of union members on the Boards of Regional Development Agencies through its RDA Network. Issues considered have included regional government, regional industrial strategies, regional dialogue with the Bank of England and the relationship between RDAs and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). A number of union members of RDA Boards represent their Agencies on Local LSCs which helps local and regional collaboration on learning and skills strategies.
On the transfer of responsibility for RDAs to the DTI, the Network had a very positive meeting with the new Minister of State responsible for the Agencies, Alan Johnson. The minister indicated his support for greater involvement of unions in RDA work and in regional social partnership projects.
The General Council continue to have a dialogue with the STUC on the role of unions in public policy-making and their impact on the Scottish Executive and Scottish Parliament. A joint event between the General Council and the STUC is to be held in Edinburgh in the autumn to consider policy issues of mutual interest. It will also involve opportunities to meet Scottish Ministers and MSPs. The joint meetings between the TUC, STUC, ICTU and Wales TUC will continue once the future or the Northern Ireland Assembly is established.
TUC Regional Consultative Meeting
In December the TUC General Secretary addressed a consultative meeting of Regional Council Chairs and TUC regional officers to map out key themes and priorities for the year ahead. The meeting also discussed the work of the Stephen Lawrence Task Group, Learning and Skills Council membership and the re-launch of the Regional Education Service.
Midlands
Representation
Changes in manufacturing continue to dominate the industrial scene in the Midlands. The crisis at Rover last year has continued to have repercussions across the region. The TUC has taken every opportunity to push the case for manufacturing, including meetings with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Members of Parliament in the West Midlands.
Within the Midlands region, the TUC is represented at key levels including the Regional Development Agencies, the East Midlands Assembly and the West Midlands Chamber. The Regional Secretary has also been appointed to the Leicestershire Learning and Skills Council.
Publicity
The TUC’s publicity in the region continues to improve, particularly with the annual report and regional directory of trade unions. The annual report continues to be very well supported by unions within the region and we received sponsorship from the Prudential for the trade union directory. These publications have bolstered exhibition work where the trade union message has been taken to members of the public at events as diverse as the Birmingham and Leicester gay Pride events and Bromsgrove and Redditch Carnival. The TUC also supported trades union council May Day events at Chesterfield and Wolverhampton, regional conferences held by UNIFI, GPMU, and the ISTC and a project with the NUJ to produce drinks coasters giving both NUJ and regional TUC details distributed through NUJ Chapels.
Equality
A priority has been bringing together the Race Equality Councils, trade unions and the Commission for Racial Equality to discuss the issues around representation of race cases. Two seminars were held where difficult issues were openly debated. A particular issue was the need for shop stewards to have relevant information about race issues and to know how to progress cases quickly and efficiently. Arising from this input the TUC in the Midlands has jointly commissioned a stewards’ prompt card which asks key questions and reminds stewards to seek advice from their union at an early stage in the case. Individual unions have incorporated their own logo onto the card to make it more appropriate for their stewards. We have also produced a draft protocol between the trades unions and Race Equality Councils to ease the progression of cases where both organisations have been involved. The TUC regional office has jointly prepared leaflets on race, sex and disability discrimination with a firm of solicitors and plans are being prepared to produce these in different languages.
The Regional Women’s Committee held a conference on women’s health and welfare to celebrate International Women’s Day, which was addressed by a number of high profile speakers. The Women’s Committee is also in the first stages of producing a newsletter for women trade unionists.
Northern
Fairness at Work
One of the key aims of the TUC in the Northern region has been to help unions to challenge institutional racism in the workplace and across society. As a result, the regional TUC hosted a major conference in February 2001entitled ‘Tackling Institutional Racism in the Workplace’, which attracted over 110 delegates. Speakers included Brendan Barber, TUC Deputy General Secretary, Stephen Hughes MEP and Beverly Bernard, Deputy Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality.
Another key aim was to develop practical ways of encouraging inter-union co-operation. The regional TUC organised a number of joint union seminars on issues including Organising and New Technology and Best Value. The regional TUC has also facilitated a Best Value Working Group and hosted a major regional conference in September on the theme of supporting public services.
In November 2000, the Regional Council ran a successful training and team-building weekend for young activists in Otterburn, Northumberland. The Regional Education and Training Officer is currently developing a tailored package of training for young members and activists.
Raising the profile of trade unions and of the TUC in the region, continues to be an important objective. In addition to the region’s web-site, www.unionsnorth.org.uk, the regional TUC also produced a quarterly Unions North newsletter and a regional TUC Directory. Over the last 12 months the Regional Council has also taken a much more pro-active and successful approach to press and media work.
The regional TUC Health and Safety Forum has organised three conferences attracting audiences of over 100. Issues covered include corporate manslaughter and stress, bullying and harassment and lone working.
On International Women’s Day the TUC held two events: the launch of its gender equality project; and a ‘union village’ at the Metro Centre, Gateshead. The gender equality project is supported by One NorthEast and the European Social Fund, and in January 2001 the TUC appointed two members of staff to its regional office to work, specifically, in this area.
In June 2001, the regional TUC hosted a major regional conference, Learning for All, which attracted 110 delegates. This conference was used to launch a TUC regional report Tackling Barriers to Skills & Learning.
Employment and sustainable growth
The TUC in the Northern region supports a growing number of trade union representatives on regional bodies and agencies, such as One NorthEast, local Learning and Skills Councils, the North East Assembly, Sub-Regional Strategic Partnerships and Government Office-North East Committees and Boards.
To help this work, the TUC regional office held a capacity-building workshop on Objective 3 and regional development in October 2000.
As a practical contribution to the debate about the future of manufacturing in the North East and Cumbria John Monks visited the region in November 2000 to launch The North Can Make It - a strategy for modern manufacturing in the North. This report was commissioned by the TUC from the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies, University of Newcastle. Members of the Regional Executive Committee met Stephen Byers, then Secretary of State at the DTI, in May 2001 to raise a number of issues arising from this work. The TUC in the Northern region is currently working with One NorthEast and a range of other regional partners to host a regional manufacturing summit in October/November 2001.
The TUC in the Northern region continues to play a leading role in the debate around regional governance. In September 2000 a seminar was held to develop the union response to devolution, and the Chair of the Northern TUC, Gill Hale, has recently been elected vice-chair of the North East Assembly.
In May 2001, Stephen Byers launched the North East Employee Relations Forum. The TUC regional office played a key role in the development of this ACAS initiative, which brings together unions, employers, academics and key regional organisations to promote a positive climate of employee relations in the region.
Education, Learning and Skills
Both TUC Learning Services and TUC Education continue to work with trade unions in the region. An important development has been the creation of a new Education, Learning and Skills Forum which brings together all the TUC’s regional work on lifelong learning, trade union education and workforce development.
Another significant development has been the work the regional TUC is undertaking in Cumbria. The TUC is now training and supporting learning representatives in Cumbria, building on the new trade union education links with Carlisle College and the other colleges in the county.
North West
In the North West three overarching priorities have underpinned the work of the TUC: reaching out to new workers and promoting trade unionism; helping to secure a better quality of working life; and grasping the opportunities offered by the developing regional agenda. However, the TUC has also responded to the disturbing developments in towns such as Oldham and Burnley with a commitment to sustained activity to help repair community relations. The TUC has supported the Task Forces and Independent Reviews that have been established, as well as supporting campaigns at the workplace and in the community.
Promoting trade unionism
Younger workers are one of the key groups we need to reach out to and a young members’ network has been established in the North West with plans to work with the NUS in the autumn and to exchange information on organising initiatives.
There has been considerable growth in call centres in the North West and, as part of the TUC call centre campaign, a mapping exercise was carried out, identifying call centres in the region. The campaign was launched in a unionised Liverpool call centre, generating considerable local publicity. A seminar will be held in the late autumn for union organisers.
A workshop on ‘Practical Ways to Win’ was held in Manchester in July. Aimed at full-time union officers it focused on the barriers to organising in the workplace and looked at how the TUC can help add value to the work which affiliates do, through providing information, networks, education and training opportunities. Consideration is being given to a number of these events organised on a sub-regional basis.
To look at ways of minimising inter-union rivalry, the region organised special briefings on the TUC Code on Dispute Principles and Procedures, giving it as wide a circulation as possible.
Working life
A second key objective was to help to secure a better quality of working life. This involves winning new learning opportunities at work and campaigning for healthy workplaces that provide a better work/life balance.
During the year agreements were reached with all of the local Learning and Skills Councils in the North West to provide support for Learning Services activities. To guide this work the region has established a Learning and Skills Forum.
The TUC in the North West is in the second year of a major project with the Regional Development Agency piloting approaches to workforce development. As part of this work a conference was organised on Workforce Development with national Learning and Skills Council speakers and partnership case studies from unions and companies in the North West that attracted over 300 delegates.
The North West safety rep network continues to expand with close to 1,700 members. Health and Safety Commission Chair Bill Callaghan addressed a successful event in the region and the work of the network was also highlighted at this year’s Hazards conference with a special edition of the network’s newsletter, a stall and a presentation. The Women’s Committee supported the Cabinet Office’s Public Service Week to encourage more women to become involved in public life. They also produced a special publication, Women Working together, Making a Difference, with material on a range of issues including unions and work/life balance.
The regional agenda
Work to grasp the opportunities offered by the developing regional agenda has been wide ranging and has included both training days and regular meetings for the TUC representatives on bodies monitoring European Programmes. These programmes will invest over £3.5 billion in the region over the course of their lifetimes. Trade union forums are now being established in the North West with each of the local LSCs and trade union representatives continue to be involved in New Deal local Steering Groups.
The TUC is represented on the North West Assembly and its various Priority Groups and we have given our support to the work of the North West Constitutional Convention. Following the decision to locate a new synchrotron facility away from the Daresbury Laboratories in Halton, the TUC made an important contribution to the work on the development of science-based industries in the region. The TUC was represented on the Group established by the Secretary of State that produced proposals for a NW Science Council and significant new investment in research facilities and commercial applications in the North West. A number of trades unions made a significant contribution to this work.
The National Health Service is the region’s largest employer and service provider. The TUC is represented on the North West NHS Modernisation Advisory Board and we are working with the health unions on a number of issues including staff development. A conference was held soon after the election, addressed by the Secretary of State, on the subject of NHS modernisation and we continue to assist the health unions in regular meetings of the North West Human Resources Forum with the NHS Executive and representatives of employing organisations.
Southern and Eastern Region
The regional agenda
In the South East, the TUC has engaged with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) in promoting the European model of regional social dialogue.
With SEEDA, the TUC has established a forum that includes senior regional trade union officials and major employers based in the South East, such as Ford, BAA Gatwick, Eurotunnel and the Engineering Employers’ Federation. This forum is working together on up-skilling and workforce development.
In London the establishment of the Greater London Authority (GLA), with a directly elected Mayor, has provided an opportunity for trade unions to become engaged with the various statutory bodies that make up the GLA family, Transport for London and the London Development Agency (LDA), and a range of Mayoral commissions, from health to cultural strategies. We have responded to consultation papers on issues such as London’s economic and social regeneration, the Mayors transport and special development strategies.
Anti-racist activities
Nearly two-thirds of Britain’s black and minority ethnic community members are in residence with the Southern and Eastern TUC (SERTUC) area. As such, anti-racism forms a large and important part of the work of the SERTUC Regional Council. Building on the work of the Stephen Lawrence Task Group, we have amended our rules to make our executive more reflective of trade union membership and our communities.
Through close contact with the London Mayor’s office and other partners we have re-established the ‘Respect’ festival in the Capital.
Public transport
The Regional Council in the South East and Eastern Region has supported the rail trade unions campaign on the issue of re-nationalisation of the rail network, and a return to unified management for both operational and safety reasons.
Similarly, in London, the TUC supported the rail trade unions and Transport Commissioner Kiley’s campaign to oppose the introduction of Public/Private Partnership on London Underground.
Education and Learning Services
Integration of the TUC Learning Services into the work of the Regional Council has opened the way for a more coherent approach to developing the TUC learning agenda within the trade union movement and enabled us to influence policy with our partners at a regional level.
In addition to representatives on each of the local Learning and Skills Councils in the region, we have representation on the skills related sub-committee’s of the regional development agencies. Responding to these changes, SERTUC has established new structures that bring together trade union representatives on both LSCs and RDAs to ensure coherence in our approach to this issue.
There have been a number of well attended conferences around the region addressing the developing role of workplace the Learning Representative.
Manufacturing
The decisions to end car production at Ford Dagenham and Vauxhall Luton with the loss of many thousands of jobs has again focused the minds of SERTUC representatives on the future role for manufacturing in this region. While campaigning with the trade unions to save those plants, we are examining the opportunities offered by the development of the Thames Gateway for modern high added value manufacturing.
Work is being done with all of the development agencies in the region, the East of England Development Agency, the LDA and SEEDA, to protect the manufacturing base and a report is being prepared on the future of manufacturing. This will be launched at a conference in the autumn.
While recognising the contribution that the service sector makes to the regions economy, the SERTUC Regional Council is determined to fight for a balanced industrial policy in the region.
Health and Safety
Working with trade union solicitors Thompson’s, SERTUC have organised an Asbestos Awareness campaign. The campaign, which is endorsed by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, was launched to coincide with Workers Memorial Day. It offers an opportunity for trades unions and local trades councils to campaign in the workplace and in the community on the dangers of asbestos, and to offer support to sufferers and potential victims. It also offers advice to dependents of deceased on what remedies, in law, are available. Campaigns like this are an important way of raising the profile of trade unions in a positive way, and of developing the organising agenda.
South West
Promoting trade unionism
Throughout the South West the TUC has promoted trade unionism through a range of promotional materials, media campaigns and high profile events. One example of this was the Tolpuddle Festival, featuring a wide range of music and entertainment. The Respect in the West Festival also continues to grow, providing trade unions with a much higher profile through a Union Village featuring a Respect at Work stage and free employment advice.
The South West TUC Race Committee, has sought to work with Racial Equality Councils and black networks and the South West TUC has been working with the Regional Development Agency to form a new European Equal Opportunities Group. There is no regional forum for representative and support groups and this is a particular problem when European funds require equal opportunities to be embedded within projects. The TUC will host two workers to support this initiative. This will, hopefully, develop into a wider strategic role covering all aspects of equal opportunities.
A number of successful events have been organised by the Women’s Committee, including a major conference on Women’s Health. This event was hosted in partnership with a number of neighbourhood projects and voluntary groups and attracted a large audience. The Women’s Committee also held a workshop in Cornwall on Family Friendly employment addressed by Lucy Anderson, TUC Senior Policy Officer, and a workshop on domestic violence in Salisbury.
Bill Morris, came to Bristol to unveil plaques to great trade union figures with connections to the City, Ben Tillett and Ernest Bevin and Bristol Trades Union Council again marked Workers Memorial Day.
The annual Pensioners Meeting, held in Weston-super-Mare, was well attended this year. The TUC has responded to the challenge of inadequate pension provision and a TUC workshop in Bristol heard details of the TUC Stakeholder Pension.
The regional agenda
A key role for the TUC in the South West is to represent trade unions on a variety of bodies and partnerships, including the Regional Assembly and Regional Development Agency.
From a regional perspective, the part played by trade union representatives on local Learning and Skills Councils (LSC) will be of great importance. The South West TUC has set up a Learning and Skills Committee, bringing together LSC representatives with TUC and union education officers and project workers.
Learning Services has been the particular focus for the TUC Cornwall Economic Task Group. A succesful Objective One application will establish a centre in Cornwall College, for project workers to assist unions to help members take up learning opportunities. The initiative will also promote the New Deal to employers and seek to support workers between jobs.
The economy
The economy of the South West has done very well with growth outstripping most other regions. Employment levels are at an all time high with unemployment falling even in worst affected areas. Since 1997, unemployment in the South West has fallen by 55,000 with unemployment among young people being cut by over three quarters. Some 33,000 young people in the region have benefited from the New Deal, an initiative the South West TUC continues to actively support.
The National Minimum Wage has given a rise to over 160,000 people in the region with workers in sectors such as tourism and care particularly benefiting. The 11 per cent rise due this autumn has brought criticism from some employers but unions in the South West will continue to press the case for a rate that provides a real living wage.
Trade union membership has grown further, although job losses in manufacturing have hit some unions hard. Overall employment in manufacturing in the South West has grown slightly but this hides the hard times faced by many. The South West TUC produced a report called The South West Can Make it highlighting the importance of manufacturing to the South West and listing practical measures to assist this sector. The Regional Development Agency (RDA) responded positively and in partnership with the RDA, the CBI and the Engineering Employers Federation, the South West TUC called a regional summit to discuss the steps necessary for manufacturing to survive. Building on this the RDA is now planning a larger event to keep up its support for manufacturing.
The RDA reacted quickly to calls to support Lister Petter, a diesel engine maker in Dursley, Gloucestershire which was on the brink of receivership. The RDA purchased a large site, leasing back a smaller unit for Lister Petter to develop its modern assembly line. The RDA will lead the regeneration of the site providing facilities for the sort of quality manufacturing, office, community and residential uses the area needs.
The relationship between private and public sectors was given special attention by the PFI/PPP/Privatisation Task Group. The use of the Private Finance Initiative has had some spectacular failures in the region with public services, such as housing benefits, having to be brought back from their privatised management after failing to deliver.
Wales TUC Cymru
National Assembly
The Wales TUC has played a prominent role in shaping economic and social success in Wales. It has made around 20 responses to consultations, given evidence at a number of National Assembly Committees and met separately with Ministers on a regular basis. It has also worked closely with the National Assembly to embed the new learning culture that is taking place across Wales. The Wales Union Learning Fund has provided significant resources and is now recognised as a leading light in the workplace, not only in terms of learning opportunities but also in the encouragement of genuine workplace partnership between unions and employers.
However, the Wales TUC has not only been active at the National Assembly. There are large areas of policy not devolved and that has required meetings and contact with both the Secretary of State for Wales and the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Campaigning
A Strategy for Modern Manufacturing in Wales was the Wales TUC’s key publication of last year. Launched in December 2000, the report was the subject of UK-wide media attention. The Wales TUC also supported the launch of the TUC’s ‘It’s Your Call’ campaign, calling for better conditions in the call centres of Wales. This has directly led to meetings with both regional and all-Wales call centre employers’ forums.
Equality
The Wales TUC has embedded partnership within our equality agenda during the year.
On 7 April the Wales TUC held a successful conference entitled Challenging Racism, held at Cardiff City Hall. Organised by the Wales TUC Race Equality Committee, it was attended by people from the communities of Wales as well as trade unions. It was a particular privilege to welcome the final speaker, Paul Robeson Jnr, and to re-new the special relationship that the trade union movement in Wales had with his father.
The Wales TUC was instrumental in forming a partnership between the National Assembly and Equal Opportunities Commission on equal pay. The Wales TUC also led the formation of the Wales Disability Rights Forum, a partnership between Wales TUC, CBI Wales, the Disability Rights Commission and the National Assembly.
Education and Learning Services
The Education Service has once again enjoyed a significant increase in the number of workplace representatives trained in Wales. Two dedicated Trade Union Studies Centres in Wales opened during the year and this will enable access to learning to be widened to encompass traditional, distance and on-line opportunities.
During the year, European funding has been the subject of a debate the Wales TUC has been driving forward the argument that learning, equality and workplace partnership need to be at the centre of any strategy to bring the economic success that Wales needs. Responses have been made to National Assembly requests for nominees onto the European funding partnerships across Wales, ensuring a voice for people in the workplace. Adding to its Wales Union Learning Fund activity, the Wales TUC has supported successful Objective One and Three funding bids for a number of key learning projects.
Manufacturing
A major talking point during the year has been the downsizing of the steel industry in Wales by Corus with thousands of world-class steel workers being made redundant. Although too late to influence the Corus redundancies, the Wales TUC is supporting the National Assembly in its attempts to regenerate ex-Corus sites and to provide the skills for those made unemployed to take advantage of any future opportunities.
Yorkshire and Humberside
Equality
In the Yorkshire and Humberside region the TUC has given anti-racism a high priority, not least because of the disturbing existence of racist attacks within the region and the rise of the British National Party’s (BNP) profile during the General Election. The Executive Committee has written to all Members of Parliament in the region to reiterate its opposition to the BNP and their ideology, and calling upon the Government to strengthen Part 3 of the Public Order Act of 1986. Similar letters were sent to regional media contacts and supported by a press release.
On a more positive note, on 30 April Nelson Mandela visited Leeds to receive the freedom of the City, and was given an outstanding welcome. Following this Councillor Obed Mlba, the Mayor of Durban, addressed the May Day rally, organised by Leeds Trades Council, and helped publicise the Race to Train document. The Mayor expressed great interest in TUC anti-racism work and we will continue to liaise with him.
Recruitment among and communication with black and ethnic minority communities continues, particularly through the presence of the regional TUC and Leeds Trades Union Council at the West Indian Carnival in August. On-going anti-racist work is also carried out by trades union councils throughout the region.
A regional Women’s Forum is in the process of being formed in Yorkshire and Humberside, and its inaugural meeting will take place in August. It is hoped that this forum will provide the impetus to take forward women’s issues and to enable women members within the region to play a more active role within the regional TUC. This format may be repeated later in the year with the regional Youth Forum.
The regional agenda
With the continuing emphasis upon regional development and governance, the TUC’s ability to influence important regional policy remains a high priority. In Yorkshire and Humberside the TUC is represented on all major regional institutions, and works closely with Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency. Sustainable employment remains the goal of the TUC and we are promoting training to ensure that union members are better able to protect themselves from redundancy.
The Yorkshire and Humberside TUC has worked hard to ensure representation upon all regional bodies and that union representatives receive adequate training and assistance to enable them to effectively carry out this work. We hope to continue this important work within the Learning and Skills Councils.
Public transport
Transport remains of high priority in this region, and the Regional TUC gave its support to the Take Back the Track Campaign, launched by TSSA, RMT and ASLEF. In conjunction with these unions, and with support from trades union councils in the region, a series of events were held at railway stations throughout the region in April, eliciting a positive response from both rail users and the general public.
Capacity building
Over the past 18 months, the TUC in Yorkshire and Humberside has been working to develop regional trade union capacity to access European funding opportunities, working under European Social Fund Objective 3. The second half of this project involved a transnational element, visiting trade union colleagues in Denmark and looking at specific projects in which they are involved. This was highly successful, and the work will be continued and developed when our Danish colleagues visit us in March 2002.
10.4 TUC Unemployed Workers’ Centres
This has been another difficult year for Unemployed Workers’ Centres. Falling unemployment has made some local authorities less willing to provide funding, whilst others have changed hands politically and are now controlled by parties less inclined to support Centres. The National Lotteries Charities Board’s stricter application of its rules for funding, first noted in last year’s report, has also continued to be a problem.
Union members continue to be a major source of funding with One Fund For All schemes (OFFA) raising about a quarter of a million pounds a year. Here too there are pressures on Centres’ ability to raise funds. As reported last year, redundancies at unionised workplaces have hit OFFA schemes hard. OFFA was also one of the first ‘workplace giving’ schemes, and for a long time had the field to itself. It now faces competition that is harder to beat off when the headlines are about falling, not rising unemployment.
Against this background, the ingenuity of Centre co-ordinators and OFFA administrators is remarkable. Centres and OFFA schemes are increasingly likely to conclude that a local authority grant plus an OFFA scheme is no longer an adequate fund-raising strategy. Centres that attract funds from a wider range of sources are more likely to survive if any one of them falls through.
The TUC liaison group of OFFA administrators continues to meet twice a year to discuss developments and to regulate OFFA schemes, the National Consultative Meetings of regional representatives continue to take place at Congress House, and the 2000 national conference of Unemployed Workers’ Centres was held in October, at which Angela Eagle (then the Minister responsible for benefits for unemployed people) was the headline speaker.
At a time when Centres are struggling for finance the range of services provided is impressive. Most provide advice on benefits for unemployed and disabled people, training schemes and other services to help people get jobs, such as support producing CVs. Other services being run by Unemployed Workers’ Centres include:
- A home visiting service at Banbury.
- A housing lettings agency at Basildon.
- Setting up a Credit Union at Birmingham.
- Debt counselling at Bolton.
- Immigration advice at Cambridge.
- A first-aid course at Cleveland.
- Drug and alcohol addiction counselling at Clydebank.
- Food parcels operated out of Kettering.
- A mentoring scheme at Luton.
- A furniture re-cycling project at Midlothian.
- Mock job interviews at Milton.
- A photography course at Newcastle.
- Video editing at North Shields.
- Creative writing at Norwich.
- Community printing at Wallsend.
- A book-swapping scheme at Waveney.
- Redundancy advice and counselling at West Cumbria.
- A scheme to help accommodate homeless people in the private sector at Worcester.
In addition, at Sheffield, the Centre for Full Employment’s intermediate labour market project offers participants a living wage, training and help with childcare. A special issue of the TUC’s Welfare Reform series of briefings focused on the Sheffield story, reporting that three quarters of participants were getting jobs.
10.5 Trades Union Councils
Over the last 12 months, the Trades Union Councils’ Joint Consultative Committee (TUCJCC) has made revitalising trades union councils one of its main priorities. To examine strategies for renewal, the TUCJCC held an Away Day in January to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the current trades union council structure. The Away Day also looked at the opportunities and the threats facing the trades union councils movement.
This year’s annual Trades Union Councils’ Conference was held at Congress House. This was the seventy-sixth annual conference. TUC President Bill Morris and ASLEF General Secretary Mick Rix addressed the conference. As last year, provision was made for additional black and young delegates, building on the current positive action arrangements for women.
Conference resolutions and debates ranged from national campaigning and employment rights to public services and transport. One of the features was a workshop facilitated by the TUC Southern and Eastern Regional Secretary, Mick Connolly. The workshop looked at developing strategies to revitalise trades union councils. The conference took place two weeks after the General Election, and in the wake of the results achieved by the British National Party (BNP) in Oldham and Burnley among other areas, anti-racism featured as a major debate. Delegates were able to hear first-hand about the situation in Oldham from guest speakers Tariq Ajiz and Mike Luft representing Oldham United Against Racism.
The Trades Union Councils’ Programme of Work for 2001-2002 was approved by Conference. The key campaign priorities include: community unionism, rights at work, health and safety, racism and fascism, public services and regional development, and re-building trades union council organisation. The General Council has agreed to maintain a grant to the maximum of £20,000 from the Development Fund to support the work of the 182 trades union councils and 28 county associations that are currently registered.
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