Learning Works, Spring 2010

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Learning Works

» News from unionlearn with South West TUC Spring 2010

Delegates to unionlearn's annual conference — Skills and recovery – the way forward — pictured outside the Taunton venue

Photos by Clint Randall www.pixelphotography.co.uk

We shall not be moved Union learning isn't going away, National Director vows at annual conference He gave a positive address, praising union learning reps for their hard work and the Labour government for its investment.

they will not hesitate to do it,” he warned.

“They wouldn’t do that if their staff had qualifications they needed.

“Whatever you think of the government,” he said, “they’ve done more in the last 13 years for education and training in this country than any other government in the previous 200 years.”

“I’d like to see the government introduce some sort of regulatory framework to ensure the good employers who invest in training their staff are not undercut by bad employers.”

Tom Wilson, unionlearn Director

“We’re here to stay!” was the rallying cry issued by director Tom Wilson at the unionlearn South West conference in March.

Speaking to an audience of around 100 learners, partners and employers from across the region, he said unionlearn would be going strong regardless of who won the General Election.

“Union learning has been around for a hundred years – it’s a strong part of trade unionism,” he said. “We are the voice of working people. Nobody else is going to speak up for working people as we do, which is why we shall be here as long as learning exists in this country.”

“Whatever you think of the government, they’ve done more in the last 13 years for education and training in this country than any other government in the previous 200 years"

In her remarks to conference, unionlearn Regional Manager Helen Cole focussed on the successes of the last twelve months.

“It would be easy to feel gloomy about the recession,” she said, “but I want to reflect on the work that has been done and the work that is being done by unions to improve people’s skills and improve their lives.”

Telling delegates that a third of companies did not train their staff, he called on employers to invest in training and for the government to help them.

“As long as employers can sack people and replace them with someone else just as easily,

Helen Cole, unionlearn Regional Manager

In this issue » Going green with firefighters » All shipshape at Babcock Marine » Workers' Memorial Day

Learning Works Spring 2010

Doing herself out of a job Tim Lezard talks to the South West TUC’s new Skills, Recession and Recovery worker about why she’s not Batman It’s ironic that Marian Mann will lose her job when the recession ends.

While it’s not right to say the South West TUC’s new Skills, Recession and Recovery worker is looking forward to the day she joins the dole queue, Marian’s aware that when her short-term contract comes to an end, her job should be done.

“I’ve been in that position before, when I was Women’s Officer at UNISON,” she smiles.

“My role was to make sure women were fully integrated into the union’s structures and democracy, and people were always telling me that when I succeeded, I would be out of a job.

“We haven’t yet achieved full equality for women, but there will be a recovery from the recession, and that’s good because it means fewer people will be losing their jobs.”

Marian joins the TUC having worked as teacher and NUT activist for 12 years, for UNISON for 14 years and, latterly, having worked as a regional official for teachers’ union NASUWT. “I think I’m a natural organiser,” she says. “My natural instinct is to

get out there and organise, promote the values of trade unionism, so I’m perfectly suited for this job.”

Marian sees her role as supporting unions and providing information to them as they seek to advise their members.

“It’s fundamentally about protecting people’s terms and conditions at work,” she says.

“At the moment we’re in a recession and unfortunately redundancies are a fact of life. My job is to help unions and make sure members get the best deal they can.”

“At the moment we’re in a recession and unfortunately redundancies are a fact of life. My job is to help unions and make sure members get the best deal they can” She has already hit the ground running, using her plentiful contacts in the region to speak to organisers and ensure they know what the TUC has to offer.

“It’s important to stress it always depends on what the members want in any given situation. It’s not my position to say to someone: ‘You need to learn how to write a CV’. That person might already be good at writing a CV. “It’s my position to say: ‘You want to learn how to write a CV? Then let me tell you how you can go about it’, and point them in the right direction.

“Most of all, my role is to make sure trade unions are effective in dealing with redundancy for their members, helping them find training to learn new skills and come out of the recession in a better shape than they otherwise would have.”

“I’ve been having meetings with lead officials, learning organisers and unionlearn’s project workers to let them know I can support their response to redundancies,” she explains.

T he South West TUC can help unions by identifying:

“I’m quite clear about my role, which is to support unions. I’m not a Batman-type figure ready to swoop in on my own and provide a magic solution.

t funding opportunites

“I’m there to work with unions, support them in what they’re doing and maybe act as a catalyst by letting them know what options are available.

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“I can help them accessing training opportunities and contact providers, I can see whether there are any funding possibilities through partner agencies such as the Regional Development Agency or JobCentre Plus and I can see if there are any quick means of communications with other bodies to support them.

t growth sectors t learning and skills opportunities t as well as offering advice on how to avoid redundancies

t navigate through the recession

Election special With the General Election just weeks away, Learning Works asked the three main political parties: how would your government encourage and support the 1,000+ learning reps in the South West?

Jim Knight (Dorset South) Labour Minister for the South West Raising the skills levels of all our people is key to delivering a successful economy and a fairer society.

Unions and their Union Learning Reps have a vital role to play in driving up demand for learning and skills and are doing outstanding work in workplaces up and down the country.

We created the Union Learning Fund in 1998, which has become an established part of the lifelong learning agenda, benefiting thousands of people in the workplace through union-led learning projects. Since the start of the Union Learning Fund we have provided more than £100 million to help trade unions develop their capacity to promote the uptake of learning and skills in the workplace.

We also introduced a statutory right to time off with pay for Union Learning Representatives to undertake training and carry out their duties.

We supported the TUC in establishing unionlearn, which is leading to a real stepchange in the number of working people engaged in learning.

The Labour Party is proud of its links to trade unions and our development of in-work training. We will continue as a government to support the Union Learning Fund and Union Learning Reps.

Oliver Letwin (West Dorset) Conservative Britain faces a massive skills challenge. We have an ageing population that needs access to training and retraining. We have an economy that is rebalancing as a result of the long and deep recession, which calls for new skills. And, here in the South West as elsewhere, we have large numbers of young people who are not in education, employment or training and who would benefit enormously from some work-based training.

In addition to these big challenges, the fiscal crisis means there is enormous pressure on the public finances. A Conservative government will put fiscal responsibility at the heart of all we do which, in practice, means focusing on those programmes with the most cost-effective outcomes.

For me, that is where Union Learning Reps come in. A trusted colleague is often the best person for a discussion of learning needs and I have been impressed by the independent evaluations of existing union learning schemes: for example, last year’s Ofsted report on U-Net found ‘outstanding peer support from Union Learning Representatives’.

We are committed to a big expansion of apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeship training and Further Education college places, paid for by refocusing the Train to Gain budget. We are also committed to new funds for Adult and Community Learning, Not in education, employment or training and Business Development. That programme will have the biggest impact if it is delivered through trusted and experienced partners and I hope union learning representatives will be at the heart of it.

Stephen Williams (Bristol West) Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills Learning is one of the more positive roles that trade unions can have. They tend to be in the news for strikes such as the situation at British Airways, but their work with learning is little understood.

It was certainly little understood by me, until recently. It is something we would want to support and encourage because we see it as a positive way forward.

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Learning Works Spring 2010

Shipyard hosts learning launch GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny joined unionlearn regional manager Helen Cole to open the Babcock International learning centre.

The state-of-the-art facility gives the 300-strong workforce at the Appledore shipyard the chance to learn new skills in their workplace.

All photographs by Clint Randall/ www.pixelphotography.co.uk

“I think it’s absolutely fabulous,” smiled Paul Kenny. “Learning is vitally important, not just for individuals, but for the local economy and the country too.

“This centre is built with public money and for what it costs and how people will benefit, it’s peanuts because what we know about literacy and numeracy is that it gives people opportunities in life, and that the country will benefit massively in the long run.”

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Helen Cole agreed, saying: “Everyone wins with this terrific new centre. The workers will learn new skills and the company will benefit from those skills, not just in boosting the morale of the workers, but in having a betterqualified and motivated workforce.”

The launch in North Devon was attended by around 30 people, including representatives from GMB and Unite the Union, Babcock International, the South West Regional Development Agency and Devon County Council.

“This skills centre is a magical opportunity for all future apprentices who want to learn new skills,” beamed Councillor Andrew Eastman, who earlier burst

into song after Paul Kenny revealed the last learning centre he visited was opened by Dame Vera Lynn.

“Learning is vitally important, not just for individuals, but for the local economy and the country too" The party was treated to a demonstration of the high-tech whiteboard that was linked to the centre’s nine monitors, followed by a film of the company’s newest project: building components of the two new generation aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

Paul Kenny and Helen Cole in the learning centre

The £4bn project secured 10,000 jobs nationwide to construct the vessels, which will each include an operating theatre, dental suite and four kitchens able to serve a meal to the entire ship’s compliment in 45 minutes.

“The learning centre will help the workers here become better motivated, better skilled and better able to retain their jobs,” said Paul Kenny.

“It’s giving them the chance to learn in a good environment. They can perhaps admit their learning experience at school wasn’t as good as it could have been. This is the place to put that right.”

The new centre has been created with support from Babcock International and unionlearn's 'Skills for the Future' Fund.

Councillor Andrew Eastman unveils a plaque at the new learning centre

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Learning Works Spring 2010

Red book is good read Dave Chapple’s new book, Grasshoppers, Stonkers and Straight Eights, goes back all the way to the 1930s to reveal the secret world of Bristol Post Office communists who set out to change the world through their trade union. Tim Lezard finds out more. . .

The new Rank and File Movement of the UPW is being inaugurated with the object of rejuvenating the leadership of the Union of Post Workers, to counteract the pronounced tendency of sectarianism and bureaucracy and to rally the defeatist attitude of the Staff into a militant and progressive trade union movement.

One paragraph was all it took. The above words from a 1935 minute book, discovered in a dusty corner of a trade union office, were enough to captivate Bridgwater postal worker and amateur historian Dave Chapple.

“Most of the records in the Bristol office of the Communication Workers’ Union were run-ofthe-mill,” relates Dave. “Then I came across this minute book which was very different.

“It was the minute book of an unofficial Communist Party-inspired rank and file movement and I started reading their 1936 discussions of international issues like Hitler’s Germany, as well as more mundane Post Office issues such as overtime and over-supervisionissues that are still with us today.

“Then I discovered one of the men who was active 75 years ago, George Massey, was still alive. A couple of days later I was sitting in his parlour talking to him.”

Whilst speaking to George, then 92 years old, Dave was staggered by his powers of recollection. It was then he had the idea of turning George’s remarkable story into a book.

“The minute book wasn’t that long,” says Dave, “so my first thought was to talk to George and publish his thoughts alongside the book as a 30-page pamphlet.

“But when I found out he remembered 99% of the people in the book and had anecdotes about them all, I decided it was worth a lot more, so I collected all the documents and recorded our conversations.

“It took me well over two years to complete because transcribing an hour’s interview takes me three hours, which is why I don’t consider myself as an author as such, more of a compiler.”

The result is a document dripping with working class history.

“I wanted to

address the neglect in my own union –the CWU – of its own history,” Dave says. “There’s an official history, but without doing a disservice to the author, it’s not the most exciting read and I think that’s true of a lot of trade union histories.

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Back row (L-R): Dave Chapple, Hugh Kirkbride (unite), Roger Berry MP, Dave Wilshire (CWU) and Mike Langley (Bristol Trades Union Council) Front row (L-R): Tina Dean (South Glos Pensioners), George Massey and Billy Hayes (CWU)

“I think this is a more interesting way of doing working class history because it’s based on a person who is still alive and features locallybased socialist, communist trade unions.

“They’re not general secretaries or prime ministers, nor are they people who have done incredible one-off acts of heroism but I have to say that these ‘ordinary’ activists are often extra-ordinary!

“Take George Massey: he’s a chap who at the age of seven was marching through the streets of East Bristol chanting ‘Vote, vote, vote for Walter Baker’, the Labour MP, and saying rude things about the Tory candidate, and 87 years later he’s still writing letters protesting about Afghanistan!”

George’s story is certainly a fascinating one.

He is believed to be the oldest living member of the Union of Postal Workers executive council and he served as an officer in the Bristol Branch for many years.

Promoted to management in the 1970s,

he never forgot his roots, organising regular collections among his fellow managers for

“Oh yeah,” he smiles. “Apart from taking part in industrial action in Royal Mail, and DJing ska, jazz and soul, it’s about the thing in life I enjoy most.”

Copies of Grasshoppers, Stonkers and Straight Eights are available from Dave Chapple, 1 Blake Place, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 5AU. Tel. 01278 450562, e-mail davechapple@btinternet.com

t Grasshopper = a pre-Second striking postal workers and telephonists during the seven week 1971 UPW dispute.

George was also notable for his expulsion from the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1938 for opposing the Moscow Trials – rigged court cases that led to the execution of Joseph Stalin’s political opponents.

“I’ve never come across a Communist Party veteran who was brave enough to protest against the Moscow Trials,” says Dave. “Nearly everybody went along with it. We’re talking here about a very independent-minded dissident Communist in an organisation that didn’t take too kindly to dissidents.”

Readers will be grateful to Dave for his painstaking work, but does the historian himself think it was worth the effort? His response is immediate.

“I’ve never come across a Communist Party veteran who was brave enough to protest against the Moscow Trials”

World War sorting office postman whose duty consisted of walking from one sorting frame to another, collecting the inward and outward letters sorted by the SC&Ts.

t Stonker = a telegram boy’s difficult and unpopular duty consisting of a single telegram delivery a long way from his parent office

t Straight Eights = a postman or SC&T’s overtime stint consisting of an extra full eight-hour shift, straight after the completion of an eight-hour duty: usually ‘unseen’ that is, one the inspector decides is necessary and available only at short notice during the duty shift 7

Learning Works Spring 2010

Check your cheques Don't give energy firms the green light to charge what they want

Businesses could cut at least 15% from their energy bills by following cheap and easy guidelines, Green reps were told at a conference in Cheltenham.

“Trade unions are the voice of the workers and they are able to relate that voice to management in a positive way, helping them identify simple ways to make a real difference, both to their employer’s energy use and their budget” Mike Brain from Severn Wye Energy Action told delegates to the South West TUC’s Green Workplaces Project event on February 23rd he was amazed at how companies failed to scrutinise their electricity and gas bills.

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“They pay them without blinking an eyelid,” he said. “You tell me in what other area of

business that would happen. You wouldn’t accept an invoice from someone delivering an estimated number of goods, so why would you pay an estimated bill without checking it first?”

This was just one of the tips given by Mike during the event, which was attended a dozen people representing different companies from Gloucestershire.

Other tips include looking at how and when you light and heat your business premises, installing smart metering, dusting your lights and ensuring you make the most of your computer’s energy-saving settings.

“A screen saver is not the same as an energy saver,” Mike warned.

“It’s easy for businesses to save money. In fact there are many no- or low-cost ways that would lead to as much as a 15% reduction in energy costs.

“Once businesses realise there are financial savings to be made as well as energy savings, they’re more likely to have senior management buy-in.

“It’s easy for businesses to save money. In fact there are many no- or low-cost ways that would lead to as much as a 15% reduction in energy costs” “And that’s why trade unions are vital. They are the voice of the workers and they are able to relate that voice to management in a positive way, helping them identify simple ways to make a real difference, both to their employer’s energy use and their budget.”

To contact the Green Workplaces project; Andy Moss Ground Floor Church House Church Road Filton Bristol BS34 7BD e: amoss@tuc.org.uk t: 0117 9470521 www.greenworkplacessouthwest.org.uk

Phil Hopkinson and Dawn Kettlety, Green Committee, Vibixia, Cheltenham: t Phil: “The course was very useful and gave us a better understanding of the issues, so now we can have some real input into the committee.” t Dawn: “Beforehand we would just sit there, not really knowing what was going on, but it’s going to be different now. We’re going to make a difference.”

Flyff McLaren, Green rep at Royal United Hospital in Bath: t “A hospital is difficult to keep track of energy-wise because it’s an old building, and half is too hot while the other half is too cold. The course was very helpful. I hope to go back and put some of the things we learned into practice.”

Ray Thomas, Green rep at Ramada Hotel, Gloucester: t “We already do a lot to help the environment, not just with lighting, but with other things too. The course was good because I’ve got some new ideas I can suggest to the company for them to save money.”

1. Staff awareness – leading by example helps, but saving energy needs to involve everyone. Discuss energy issues at work to seek solutions and raise awareness. Select a union green or environmental rep to work with colleagues and management.

2. Measure your energy – without keeping track of energy consumption, you will never know the impact energy saving measures will have.

3. Lighting – make the most of natural light and clean windows and skylights on a regular basis. Install local lighting controls and look at the type of lighting used. Switch lights off in empty rooms.

4. Maintenance – regularly check and maintain equipment to keep it working safely and efficiently.

5. Switch it off!– it sounds simple enough, but…….. switching off non-essential equipment out of hours will save your organisation money and the savings can be realised overnight!

See www.target2050.org.uk and www.carbontrust.co.uk for more advice and tips, and www.greenworkplacessouthwest.org.uk for green rep resources and courses.

9 All Photos by: Clint Randall www.pixelphotography.co.uk

Learning Works Spring 2010

Firefighters on green watch Tim Lezard reports on a joint campaign to make fire service environmentally friendly and sustainable

Dawn Wright is a fearsome opponent. As her workplace’s environmental champion, she keeps a tight rein on errant firefighters who don’t take green issues seriously.

“I don’t like it when they leave lights on, or when they throw away rubbish that could be recycled,” she frowns.

“Sometimes they wind me up by deliberately turning lights on but they soon learn not to because I like to try and save the planet and it’s up to all of us to do our bit.”

Photographs by Bob Bowen http://web.mac.com/bobbowenphoto

Dawn, a member of the Fire Brigades Union, is one of several environmental champions across the Avon Fire and Rescue Service.

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“She does a great job,” says Simon Richards, the service’s environmental and energy improvement co-ordinator.

“We want to cut out carbon emissions by 30% and people like Dawn are key to our success because while I’ve got a central role, I can’t deliver all the actions or identify all the problems.

“Dawn is my eyes and ears on the ground. She comes up with ideas and puts those ideas into practice, rolling out campaigns from our head office, putting up posters, ensuring the recycling is carried out and making sure the meters are read properly and regularly.”

Reading the meters is a simple, but effective,

starting point to environmental efficiency, as Simon explains.

Firefighter Martin Tully hangs up some clothing on the state-of-the-art heating system in Nailsea

“Until we’ve measured our carbon footprint, we don’t really know how to manage it,” he says.

“That’s why data management is so important. Yes, it’s boring, but it’s important because otherwise you end up focussing on the wrong thing.

“Our champions provide me with meter readings every week so we can set targets and look at anomalies. It helps with the budget as well because it focuses us on how much we’re spending and how much we can save.”

The greening of Avon Fire Service is a good example of employers working with trade unions to the benefit of both.

“Our industry, in particular, has felt the full force of climate change – floods, weather causing havoc for our members as well as the public,” says Chris Taylor, Chair of Avon FBU. “Our members have been looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint for years, and we encouraged the authority to do the same, pushing them to give us a statement on the environment.

Office manager at HQ Carole Carter recycles

“We’ve been doing this off our own backs for many years, firstly through recycling, then through working in partnership with the service.”

Working together, the entire service has had a Green audit from top to bottom. While recycling has been heavily promoted and double-glazing improved, the main culprit is the service’s fleet of vehicles, which accounts for 29% of emissions. The headquarters at Temple in Bristol accounts for 28% and the other full time fire stations amount to 27%.

To deal with this, the service has looked at more radical and far-reaching changes, such as upgrading fire engines to meet European emission standards and building new stations with the environment in mind.

Nailsea is the service’s flagship station.

Newlybuilt, it has all the green mod cons you could imagine: the lights operate on motion censors, there are energy efficient strip lights, the concrete roof acts as insulation, there’s no heating

“We want to cut out carbon emissions by 30% and people like Dawn are key to our success because while I’ve got a central role, I can’t deliver all the actions or identify all the problems” Dawn Wright chatting to Simon Richards

where the fire appliances are parked, there’s natural ventilation instead of air conditioning, it houses a state-of-the-art heating system to dry clothing and recycling is now up to 50%.

“The week before last we had a whole bin full of baked beans cans, all squished up, but they’d all been recycled,” smiles Dawn.

Avonmouth, on the other hand, needs a complete revamp. Its outdated infrastructure leaks energy, its old kit room has heating pipes all the way round the walls to keep the clothing dry. The heater has to remain on, which is expensive and inefficient, because

if the temperature drops then condensation ruins the uniforms.

But Simon’s on the case, planning to overhaul the heating system, remove one of the two boilers and reducing the pipework to make it more efficient.

Simon hopes the changes at Avonmouth, and at the service’s other stations, will help save as much as £500,000 over the next five years.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done, and obviously we don’t have the budget to do everything at once,” he says, “but we’re doing what we can when we can because this is a priority for us.”

Chris Taylor Avon FBU chair with Nailsea FBU rep Martyn Hodges and Green Champion Dawn Wright

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Learning Works Spring 2010

Bristol MP visits learning centre All Photos by: Clint Randall www.pixelphotography.co.uk

MP Stephen Williams saw for himself the importance and value of workplace learning when he visited Avon Fire and Rescue’s headquarters The Bristol West MP was shown the recently-decorated learning centre which was waiting to be equipped with computers to teach firefighters new skills.

“I’m sure it will be a great resource in time,” he said. “It’s good to see the Fire Brigades Union and the TUC coming together to invest in learning. I’ve heard a lot in Parliament about learning, but this is the first time I’ve seen how it works on the ground.”

The MP was shown around by Bill Hendy, the FBU’s Project Manager for the Skills for Life funded through unionlearn' s Skills for the Future Fund – the scheme that contributed £20,000 towards the equipment.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service added a further £10,000 in addition to the £80,000 they paid to turn the former storeroom into a learning facility.

Last year 97 people received qualifications through the union learning route and Bill hopes the new facilities will see an increase in numbers over the next twelve months.

“The firefighter’s role was always a career for life, but now things are changing," he said.

"People are looking for transferable skills,

Final touches being put to the new 'Skills for the Future' classroom at the Temple Back Fire Station, Bristol.

“It’s good to see the Fire Brigades Union and the TUC coming together to invest in learning” whether they want to start up their own business or transfer to another brigade. If they can get new skills, it’ll help them whatever they do, wherever they go.”

The most popular courses are numeracy, literacy and basic IT skills, with different

courses such as learning the guitar, learning to speak ‘holiday’ Spanish or ‘emergency’ Polish also receiving a lot of interest.

Stephen Williams also took the opportunity to talk to the GMB’s Rowena Hayward who, along with two care workers, explained how her union was helping their members learn new skills.

“Even while we’re campaigning for care homes in Bristol to remain open, we recognise we need to look after the welfare of our members and equip them with new skills so they can go forward in the future.,” she said.

Helen Cole, regional manager of unionlearn, was pleased with the visit, saying: “I think it went really well. It was important for Stephen to hear from the GMB and FBU reps about the work going on in his constituency.

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unionlearn regional manager Helen Cole, Bill Hendy (FBU) and Stephen Williams MP at the Temple Back Fire Station, Bristol.

“I think he got a real flavour of the importance of partnership and the importance of the work the unions are doing in learning and skills in the area.”

Mourn for the dead, fight for the living Thousands of West Country workers have died as a result of their work. Each year on Workers’ Memorial Day, trade unionists commemorate them and re-double their efforts to make work safe. Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary of the South West TUC, tells their story Around the region there are memorials to those killed at work. Miners were always particularly vulnerable to the dangers of working underground. In the Forest of Dean the local history group has compiled a Roll of Honour for those killed in the local pits.

One tragedy happened in 1902 at the Union Pit. Four miners were killed including brothers Thomas and Amos James. Three colliers survived the five days it took to dig down to the men but the brothers were found dead in a final embrace. A sculpture carved from Forest stone and set amidst the trees near Cannop stands in their memory.

In Castle Park, Bristol, trade unions erected a plaque in remembrance of those killed at work. Each year wreaths are laid at the site.

Norton Pit Disaster

East Wheel Rose disaster In May 1854, after torrential rain over Newlyn, floodwater swept into the East Wheel Rose lead mine drowning 39 men and boys in Cornwall’s worst pit disaster.

A story is told of a timber-man, Samuel Bastion, who went down into the mine to lie across a manhole, diverting the flow of water and saving eighteen lives.

Beaminster Tunnel memorial Just before the Beaminster Tunnel in Dorset there is a small stone with a white cross. This is a memorial to William Aplin, a labourer, who was killed by falling earth just three days before the road was opened in June 1832. During construction the tunnel provided 50 much needed jobs.

Somerset coalfields had one of the best safety records but in 1908 an explosion at the colliery at Norton Hill, Midsomer Norton, left ten dead. Those killed included Gilbert Jones, aged 25, who had been married only five weeks, Ernest Jones and his 16 year-old brother Stanley. The youngest victim, Harry Sage, a 14-year-old powder boy, had just left school.

(Above left) Nigel Costley laying a wreath at the New Fancy mine memorial (above right) The memorial for the James brothers killed in the Forest of Dean (right) Statue outside Avon Fire and Rescue headquarters in Bristol

(top) A memorial window at UNISON's Taunton offices; (above) a memorial to lives lost whilst fishing from Newlyn in Conrwall; (left) a memorial to Forest of Dean miners in Cinderford

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Learning Works Spring 2010

Shear heroism Carole Vallelly, secretary of White Horse (Wiltshire) Trades Council, explains why trade unionists are celebrating the life of a martyred Luddite Thomas Helliker was hanged on his 19th birthday. A shearman at a local woollen mill in Trowbridge, he was close to the highlyskilled workers who stood to lose most from mechanisation.

So when his workplace burned down during a riot in 1802, young Thomas became a

“He was hanged in Salisbury and his body carried by the shearmen across Salisbury plain to be buried in Trowbridge” prime suspect. Despite having an alibi, he was arrested and found guilty, after being identified by the mill’s night watchman in a very dubious identity parade.

Photograph by Karen Hatch http://www.karenhatchphotography.com

Thomas Helliker protected his comrades and refused to name the men involved, despite knowing his fate. He was hanged in Salisbury and his body carried by the shearmen across Salisbury plain to be buried in Trowbridge.

Next year, as well as laying a wreath, we are planning to invite all SW Trades Unionists to a larger event, including a resurrection of the annual Helliker Lecture. We hope this brings his story to the attention of many more people.

Steeled for redundancy Trade unionists at a Gloucestershire company were given emergency advice after their employers decided to close down the business..

Unite members at SIAC Tetbury Steel Ltd had less than four week’s notice of the closure.

Unite Regional Officer Christine Starling contacted unionlearn’s Graham Grindle who arranged a meeting with Gloucestershire First, Jobcentre Plus, the company and the union to agree a redundancy package for staff.

“It was great to see support provided so quickly,” said Christine.

The initial meeting was followed up with individual meetings between employers and 14

“Although it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs, working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus can benefit union members” providers. The session was well attended by 24 of the 29 staff.

Although some employees opted to take retirement, 15 signed up for a wide range of training support.

“This is a remarkable number considering the tight timeframe,” said Graham Grindle.

“Although it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs, this shows how working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus can benefit union members.”

Jobcentre Plus’s Martin James agreed, adding: “By involving us at such an early stage, the union helped us to deliver a better redundancy support service to employees than would normally have been possible in the circumstances.”

Looking to the future The obstacles of the harsh winter have not prevented unions and their partners taking advantage of the support offered by the unionlearn ‘Skills for the Future’ fund, writes Maggie Fellows Ten unions in the South West now hold ‘SftF’ contracts ranging in value from £9,692 to £89,284 within a total fund of £651,150.

They will bring support to workers in at least seven sectors; construction, the creative industries, finance, marine, manufacturing, distribution, and the public sector including the emergency services.

The unions – Britannia Staff Union, Community, Equity, FBU, GMB, PCS, the Prison Officers Association, UCATT, Unite and USDAW – are working with forty partner organisations to deliver services. These partners include employers, learning providers, sector skills councils and business support agencies, information, advice and

“They will bring support to workers in at least seven sectors; construction, the creative industries, finance, marine, manufacturing, distribution, and the public sector including the emergency services”

Skills

Future

for the

Unionle The fund supports unions to increase participation in learning by those most at risk of exclusion and it enables unions to give additional support to workers who are at risk of redundancy.

Unions holding contracts to support workers at risk can offer support within any eligible workplace where the need arises during the contract term. This assists unions to respond in a flexible and timely way.

This partnership approach is reflected in the SftF Steering Group which assists unionlearn to manage the fund and also includes representatives from unions, employer organisations, funders and a wide range of skills and support agencies.

Unions can also use the fund to develop longer term responses to workplace or sector learning needs. As well as direct support for the delivery of learning and skills packages, this includes supporting ULRs, the development of workplace learning committees and learning centres and work resulting in the signing of learning agreements and the ‘Skills Pledge.’

Work is now taking place across the whole of the South West, excluding Cornwall where unionlearn’s Convergence and Crunch projects offer support.

The ‘Skills for the Future’ fund is provided by the South West Regional Development Agency, European Social Fund (through the Skills Funding Agency) and the

support agencies and additional unions not already involved through their own contracts.

“The fund allows unions to respond in a flexible and timely way” ‘Union Learning Fund’. Additional support comes from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Jobcentre Plus, Train to Gain and TUC unionlearn.

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Learning Works Spring 2010

Chocs away!

Commemorated through the world, how many of you know March 8th is International Women’s Day? In the UK many celebrations are muted – a far cry from Poland, says trade unionist Joanna Łucyszyn.

Back home in Poland (20-30 years ago), people working in offices would be very jolly on March 8th. It’s a tradition to celebrate International Women’s Day and the traditional way of celebrating was with red carnations, vodka and chocolates.

In fact, vodka was pretty much a tradition for everything in Communist Poland, whether it was a present or a bribe, so it was no surprise that men bought vodka into work to share with their female colleagues.

The International Women’s Day tradition was very strong during Communist times to celebrate the role played by women in society, and particularly at work – you know, women on tractors and all that. However, women today would probably say this is a Communist celebration, with a rather pejorative meaning.

Schools would celebrate it, men working in offices would give a bunch of three red carnations and cards to their female colleagues.

A man would remember International Women’s Day as a matter of courtesy.

Boyfriends and husbands would give gifts of tights because during the Communist period they were virtually unobtainable, so if you could get a fancy new pair of tights it was wonderful.

Things have changed now, though, with the day being hugely rejected after the collapse of Communism. Having been in England for

six years I’m slowly losing touch with what’s happening with Polish culture and politics, but I understand it’s not celebrated the same way. Communist celebrations come across as pretty dodgy nowadays – March 8th is often forgotten or associated with a bad aftertaste and it shouldn’t be.

“I think one day a year wouldn’t be too much for men to show their appreciation of women and to recognise they are an equal part of society” In Poland it was always seen as more of a political day to show the equality between working women, to show women have a vital part in society as equals – and that ethos is really strong.

It’s different in England because there are different equality issues and society is much more men-led. I’d like to see the day celebrated more over here because I think for one day a year we should appreciate the work that is done by women.

Not just because she’s a woman, and not just those who have jobs, but how about all the mums who work at home? Work that isn’t considered a job, but looking after kids and a husband is time-consuming and hard work nonetheless.

I think one day a year wouldn’t be too much for men to show their appreciation of women and to recognise they are an equal part of society.

Last year, on March 8th, my boyfriend gave me some red carnations and some chocolate.

I hadn’t experienced that before as an adult woman because on previous occasions I was either singing songs about International Women’s Day at school or saying poetry to my mum. It was a lovely gesture. I wish more men would do the same to their partners. Maybe next year?

Joanna Łucyszyn works for GMB in Swindon, organising migrant workers.

Contact unionlearn unionlearn South West Church House Church Road Filton Bristol BS34 7BD t: 0117 947 0521 f: 0117 947 0523 e: unionlearnsouthwest@tuc.org.uk

All TUC publications may be made available for dyslexic or visually impaired readers, on request, in an agreed electronic format or in accessible formats such as Braille, audio tape and large print, at no extra cost. Contact the South West TUC on 0117 947 0521.

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Published by unionlearn with the South West TUC, Church House, Church Road, Filton, Bristol BS34 7BD. Email: unionlearnsouthwest@tuc.org.uk Learning Works is edited by Tim Lezard 07810 641 459 lezard@elmtreecottages.co.uk. Designed by Rumba www.rumbadesign.co.uk. Printed on recycled paper containing 70% post consumer waste.