STRONGER UNIONS » TUC

#N30 saw a movement find a voice that spoke for all workers

Carl Roper — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:24:18 +0000

I’m writing this post having just returned from the Liverpool TUC March and Rally for Pensions Justice so you may have to excuse some post march euphoria. However it’s clear that in terms of the support the Day of Action has received from public sector workers, it has been an enormous success.

My Twitter feed is filled with reports about attendance at afternoon marches and rallies all over the country. We might have expected the huge turnouts at rallies in Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, London and Glasgow, but we also saw 5000 in Chester, 2000 in Cambridge, 2000 in Gloucester, 1200 in Lancaster.

As well as a reflection of the genuine anger felt by public sector workers about the almost daily attacks on their pay and conditions by the Coalition government, this is also a sign of a movement regaining its confidence and finding a voice to speak on behalf of all workers regardless of which sector they work in.

I’m proud that this year the trade union movement and its members have been the focal point of the opposition to the Coalitions cuts programme. In the Spring we put half a million on the streets of London to demonstrate opposition to the cuts and support for an alternative. In the Summer the June 30 strike shifted the terms of the pensions debate and in the Autumn the TUC and unions organised mass lobbies of both the Tory and Lib Dem party conferences.

In 2012 the government will launch an attack on the employment rights of all workers. They won’t discriminate between public and private sector. If the government succeeds the jobs of all workers will be less secure and they will face increased risk of injury or illness at work.

Its clear that to be effective in opposing these cuts, unions will not only have to speak up for, but also reach out to workers in the private sector. As we fight on so many fronts, finding the time and resources to do this won’t be easy but its work that is vital for the movement and the people we represent now and hope to in the future.

What is the Diploma in Organising?

Becky Wright — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:31:37 +0000

Group work from the Diploma session on research

If I was to ask you to do a Spectrum of Allies analysis would you know where to start?

For the Organising Academy, the last few weeks have been all about ends and beginnings. As our new programme for 2011-12 begins, students from last year have begun to submit portfolios of learning and graduate to continue their union journey.

Our Diploma in Organising is the most substantial course that we run at the Organising Academy. It’s 6-12 months of a combination of classroom and workplace learning which gives organisers not only the basic skills needed to organise but far, far more in terms of the fundamentals of campaign research, strategy and communication.

We also look at how to motivate activists and what that means in supporting the great work that reps and stewards do. We look at past, present and possible campaigns to see how we can do more to strengthen the position of working people.

I’ve been an organiser for over ten years, and taught on this course quite a lot and I’m still learning every time I go into the classroom.

And, because there is so much to learn and so much to find out about, we have a follow on course (Advanced Certificate in Organising) which goes even further. No matter how long you’ve been involved in the movement as a staff member, there are new things to learn.

Look forward to seeing you on one of our courses soon…

VIDEO: Join the online vigil for the NHS

StrongerUnions — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 15:48:05 +0000

As the government’s controversial Health and Social Care Bill receives its third reading in the House of Commons, we’re standing vigil to show Parliamentarians the level of concern around the country about the threats to our National Health Service.

Please join the vigil online by uploading a photograph of yourself to this site. We’ll be combining the pictures into a powerful mosaic image, to use in lobbying Parliament. It only takes a minute from each of us, but will build into something much bigger.

Upload your own photo now.

And thanks to Le Emu Tavern for the use of the song “All Things Being Equal” in this video!

VIDEO: London Egyptian Embassy protest

StrongerUnions — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:10:14 +0000

TUC and Amnesty supporters assembled at the Egyptian Embassy in London today, to hand over a letter to the Ambassador as part of the ITUC’s Day of Action in solidarity with Egyptian workers and protestors.

This action is also part of the build up to an Amnesty / TUC / ITUC demonstration in Trafalgar Square this coming Saturday (12 Feb). You can find out more about the demo at the TUC website.

VIDEO: World Aids Day – Nigerian unions tackling HIV/Aids in the workplace

StrongerUnions — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:02:55 +0000

Esther Ogunfowora, Co-ordinator for the TUC / NLC (Nigeria Labour Congress) HIV/Aids in the workplace intiative was in London for World Aids Day (1 Dec 2010), speaking at a TUC seminar on this year’s ILO Recommendation on HIV/Aids in the workplace.

We caught up with her, and she told us about the project, which seeks to link up workplaces to help improve HIV testing rates and reduce discrimination (in a country in which you can often by fired for being HIV positive).

Esther discusses the opportunities offered in June by the ILO, with a recommendation that puts a obligation on governments to address the issues around HIV/Aids and work, and she sees a strong role for unions in this important work.

A TUC message for Copenhagen

StrongerUnions — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:07:05 +0000

TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, speaking on what trade unions want from a Copenhagen deal, and how the transition to a low carbon economy would benefit British workers. From the Government’s ACT ON COPENHAGEN website.

My Union Facebook application updated

StrongerUnions — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:49:57 +0000

It’s been a while, but we’ve now updated the TUC Facebook application, My-Union. When Facebook released their new design, applications that were developed before were banished to the boxes page. Whilst the app still goes there by default now, clicking the little pencil button on its box header now lets you move it to your front page if you’d like.

The application lets you add a little badge for your union to your profile, and currently lists unions from the UK and Ireland, thanks to a link up with the Irish Congress of Trades Unions.

If you already use the application and would like to update your copy to show it on your main profile page, here are some instructions (unfortunately it’s far from simple!):

In Facebook, put your mouse cursor over ‘Settings’ (top right) and then select the ‘Application Settings’ options.
Click on the ‘My Union’ title (NOT on the ‘Edit settings’ or ‘Application Profile’ links next to it).
Select a new adjective if you feel the urge, then click ‘Set My Union’
That’s done! Now go to your ‘Boxes’ tab and find the ‘My Union’ box
Click on the icon in the top right hand corner of the box, and select ‘Move to Wall tab’
It should now be showing up on your Wall (main profile page), and you can drag it around to where you want it.

If you don’t already use the application, you can get it here: www.my-union.org

60 Second Ad contest – the movie!

John Wood — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:14:38 +0000


For more on the 60 Second Ad contest, check the contest page here.



10 reasons why unions are great / fab / key actors in the industrial geography of the UK
Carl Roper — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:38:26 +0000
1. On average, union members receive higher pay, better sickness and pension benefits, more holiday and more flexible working hours than non-members. Union members earn more than 12.5% more per hour than non-union members (with average hourly earnings £13.07 for members and £11.62 for non-members).
2. Unions can also play a key role in reducing pay inequality. Research demonstrates that there continues to be a clear union pay premium for workers that tend to face pay discrimination: – women (9 per cent improvement); black & Asian employees (8 per cent) and manual workers (13 per cent) – trade unions clearly play a highly significant role in combating pay inequality.
3. Each year unions help over 100,000 people develop new skills. These programmes cover everything from continuing professional development to supporting workers who want to develop ‘skills for life’. The TUC and unions have trained over 22,000 Workplace Union Learn Reps. In addition to workplace based learning over 400 learning centres have been established and networked. Courses range from short, taster courses to longer programmes, skills for life, IT and NVQ’s and are open to trade union members and their families.
4. Trade unions are the most effective tool for ensuring good health and safety at work – put simply unionised workplaces are safer workplaces. There are more than 150,000 union safety representatives in the UK, trained to internationally recognised standards. These reps lower the accident rate by ensuring safe working practises, and reduce ill-health caused by the stress of working long hours, of being bullied, and of working in environments with poor lighting and ventilation.
5. Unions were the first to raise major concerns over levels of violence in the workplace, the effects of RSI, and passive smoking. When unions first raised the issue of stress at work, employers and the media argued it was nonsense. It is now recognised that workplace stress affects up to half a million people.
6. As a result of unfair treatment by employers, in 2004 unions won an estimated £16.2 million in compensation for their members at Employment Appeal Tribunals. Unfair dismissal awards won by trade unions are over three times higher than the average in a non-union backed unfair dismissal case. In 2007 unions won a record £330m in compensation for members through legal action. They also won £1m in equal pay claims – an average of £15,000 per member affected.
7. UK unions, through the TUC, have been at the forefront of ensuring better treatment for Britain’s 1.3 million agency workers. An agreement last year between the TUC, the employers’ organisation the CBI and the UK government secured UK agreement to the European Agency Workers Directive the implementation of which is being consulted on in 2009. Trade unions were instrumental to the introduction of the European Agency Workers Directive which builds on existing protection of agency workers rights campaigned for by UK trade unions.
8. Trade unions have a critical role to play in helping to change employer attitudes and ‘greening’ workplaces, reducing costs for employers, and making appositive contribution toward challenging climate change. The TUC’s ‘Green Workplaces’ project supported trade union initiatives to make six demonstration workplaces ‘greener’.
9. Unions not only make a difference to workers, they can also bring benefits to employers and the wider community. The Dept for Trade and Industry (now BIS) published a report in 2007 which assessed the benefits of trade union involvement and representation in the workplace – and found that by giving employees a voice, rather than them simply leaving a firm when they were unhappy, union reps significantly reduce the number of ‘exits’, improving labour retention and reducing absenteeism. The DTI estimated that this could be a saving to employers of between £72 and £143 million.
10. According to a recent TUC survey “Unions in the Community: A survey of union reps” union reps are heavily involved in campaigning and activities outside of work. Trade union reps are eight times more likely than the general population to engage in voluntary work and give more of their time to community organisations.
Stats taken from a new TUC publication ‘The Union Effect – the positive effect of trade unions on the economy and British society’, For a copy email me at croper (at) tuc.org.uk



Reps in action: Why good employers value union reps
Paul Nowak — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:25:37 +0000
Today the TUC launched a joint statement with BERR & the CBI, setting out ‘the positive contribution [union reps] can make to the workplace’.
The statement comes on the back of research undertaken by BERR, as part of its review of facilities and time off for workplace,  which found that union reps contributed between £3.4bn and £10.2bn (net) to the UK economy, on the basis that their presence in a workplace brings about a combination of productivity gains, reduced staff turnover, less time off as a result of sickness, improved health and safety and better training for staff.
According to the foreword of the statement, signed by Brendan Barber, Richard Lambert and Lord Mandelson,
“Union representatives constitute a major resource: there are approximately 200,000 workers who act as lay union representatives. We believe that modern representatives have a lot to give their fellow employees and to the organisations that employ them”
The TUC hopes that newly released statement will encourage employers to work positively with union reps; to give unions an additional tool to extend and build on facilities agreements; and add weight to our calls for equality and ‘green’ reps to enjoy similar statutory rights to other types of union rep.
The TUC is keen to circulate this statement as far as possible and to encourage other employer/union bodies to sign similar statements – you can  download a copy of the statement here, or order bulk hard copies from the TUC (please e-mail: jadams@tuc.org.uk) .