One of the best things about working at the TUC is that you get invited along to speak at union conferences which is a great way to get some sense of the priorities of respective unions.

Traditionally it is the teaching unions – ATL, NUT and NASUWT – that get the union conference season underway and this year the TUC Organising Team attended all three.  I facilitated a couple of workshops at the ATL conference in Liverpool and spoke at a fringe meeting at the NUT’s conference in Cardiff.  Paul Nowak did two fringe meetings at the NASUWT in Bournemouth.

A common theme throughout the contributions that I made at the ATL and NUT events was the need for teachers unions to concentrate on building their respective activist bases.  In a sector where density is not the key issue the visibility of unions in the places where their members work and the ability of the union to represent members and campaign effectively is particularly important.  Even more so in a sector that has and continues to experience such profound changes in the organisation and management of workplaces brought about by local management of schools, Trust and Academy schools.

One of the challenges that teaching unions face in this context is how to both rebuild and strengthen their activists bases whilst ensuring that activists have adequate time and resources to be able to effectively represent and campaign with members.  

The TUC’s Bargaining to Organise resource pack contains a set of useful resources for union reps seeking to increase the resources at their disposal and ease the job of being a rep by improving facilities agreements.  We are also planning to re-launch the B2O campaign in the summer.

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Posted on April 24th, 2009 by Carl Roper filed under: Union organising

Last night brought the sad news of the death of Jack Jones at the age of 96. 

Jack lived an incredible and inspiring life: fighting fascism in Spain; leading the T & G at the height of its membership and influence; and a staunch voice for pensioners through his work with the NPC.

Many people who knew Jack closely will no doubt pay tribute to him more eloquently than I can – but I thought I’d just share two memories of Jack. The first is watching him speak at a pensioners meeting in Newcastle some 8 or 9 years back when I was the TUC’s regional secretary in the North. As he made his way to the podium you could see Jack was quite frail, but that frailty disappeared the moment he took hold of the podium’s sides, before he gave a moving and powerful speech. It literally was as if the years had dropped away and you could see what a powerful and inspirational advocate he had been on behalf of working people and their families throughout his life.

A few years later I had the privilege of sitting next to Jack and his son at a dinner – and it was incredible to spend a couple of hours talking to him about everything from his views of modern politicians and politics to his work in the pensioners movement. What really struck me about Jack was his genuine warmth, and a sense of commitment to working people and socialism that was as far away from rhetoric or political posturing as its possible to be.

A truly great man, and a truly great trade unionist. He will be sadly missed, but I have no doubt he will continue to be an inspiration for trade unionists for many years and decades to come.

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Posted on April 22nd, 2009 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union news

Trade unions in the 1960′s and 1970′s made close links with art and culture. Artists and trade unions linked on common causes, fighting for human rights, anti-war, promoting democracy, developing workers education etc. Recovering from the fraught years of the 1980′s and 1990′s and unions recovering political attack and membership loss, cultural activity took a back seat.

I am pleased to see a resurgent in cultural activity over recent years. A very recent example is a play written by Ed Waugh and commissioned by the RMT, Unite and the GMB at the Shaw theatre.

The new play ‘Maggies End’ fortels the death of Margaret Thatcher in 2010. Whilst half the country mourns the other half get caught up in the 1980s divide, and react with barely disguised glee. Things come to a head when the current Labour Prime Minister announces plans for a state funeral. There is no disguising on whose side the playwright’s sympathies fall – as the work is being staged to mark the 25th anniversary of the miner’s strike’.

This play written by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood is wildly, unashamedly partisan. It certainly isn’t subtle and, as befits the authors of Dirty Dusting, it is daubed with the broadest of brushstrokes. But it’s an old-fashioned piece of entertaining agit-prop full of good bad-taste jokes about the lady being for burning after all.

The lack of reference to the current economic climate is odd, but it makes some pertinent points about the shortness of our memories and how this national dementia plays into the hands of those who want to manipulate history for their own ends. The Guardian Review.

Should Maggie have a state funeral is the ultimate question? Well as only Wellington and Churchill had this honour bestowed before, I personally think not.

The TUC will be hosting an arts and culture seminar on the 27th May to bring all of this work together.

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Posted on April 21st, 2009 by Anna filed under: Union news

I suppose it was inevitable that a dodgy employer somewhere would use the recession as a convenient stick to try and beat up its union: inevitable but still depressing.

Car delivery firm Autologic is currently balloting its workforce in an attempt to de-recognise the T & G section of UNITE. The accompanying letter sent to workers needs to be read to be believed but the following gives you a flavour of the fair and balanced approach the company is taking…

“The ballot choice is yours but think long and hard about about the lack of jobs available outside if you decide against de-recognition.

Think long and hard about how you will continue caring and looking after your families and your dependents with no job”

Nice…who needs carrots when you can use Autologic’s ‘stick and stick’ approach!

Of course it may be that Autologic are facing genuine financial pressures – few companies in the automotive sector aren’t – but that should in no way excuse their blatant efforts to bully workers into dropping their union. According to the Financial Mail, the workforce has already said its prepared to look at cost savings, but they will not tolerate being told to ditch UNITE.

UNITE is currently considering legal and industrial action – lets wish them all the best in their efforts and that the derecognition ballot is soundly lost!

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Posted on April 21st, 2009 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union news

I’ve just returned from seeing relatives in Australia, where the labor movement is pretty pleased with having successfully seen off John Howard’s mis-named WorkChoices legislation (they partied for a weekend and then got back to the fight – action on the recession, better maternity provisions, an effective climate change policy and justice for construction unions). One of the reasons for replacing WorkChoices was to stop the erosion of collective bargaining and representation, and the Australian unions have a long track record of union organisation. So strong is their organising culture nowadays, that even while WorkChoices was still in place, union membership grew last year by 56,000. I think the phrase “good on yer” is appropriate!

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Posted on April 19th, 2009 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity, Union organising

Ten young activists equipped with video cameras and a plan went on the Put People First march to send a clear message to the G20 that they care about jobs, justice and climate. Here is the film that they made. Its super!

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Posted on April 16th, 2009 by Anna filed under: Union news

The TUC has joined a campaign launched by the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) and Amnesty International, calling for the release of jailed Iranian sugar workers’ leader Ali Nejati, who was arrested on 8 March. Amnesty considers him a prisoner of conscience, detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and association. Full details are on the TUC website, and you can take action through the IUF website and Amnesty’s website.

Please take a moment to act on behalf of this brave Iranian trade unionist, who is in prison for doing what you do every day. And please encourage your colleagues and workmates to do likewise. Trade union rights are human rights, and an injury to one is an injury to all.

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Posted on April 13th, 2009 by Owen Tudor filed under: Global solidarity