Unions North Issue 23: April 2010

The Magazine of the Northern TUC

Speak up for Public Services The TUC campaign launches in the Northern Region.

Good work is good for you Highlighting the beneficial effects that working brings.

Tackling Racism The North East plays host to the Hope not Hate Event in Trimdon.

Recipe for learning How KP has the right ingredients for tasty learning.

unions north Issue : 23 April 2010

Issue 23 unionsnorth

TUC campaign launched to make a case for the Northern Region and protect jobs

There can be no doubt that public services are under the cosh. In the wake of a global recession caused by the insufficiently regulated, greed fuelled, morally bankrupt world of corporate finance it is public spending that is coming under attack - and that means public sector workers and vital public services are firmly in the firing line.

The reality is that the economic crisis is far from over and the real danger is that cuts in public services and reductions in public sector jobs could lead to a 'double-dip' recession, prolonging the damage to the economy and exacerbating the impact on families and communities throughout the UK, but perhaps most dramatically in regions with a heavier dependence on public sector jobs.

The despair is certainly not over for the hundreds of thousands of people who have already lost their jobs, or who are fearful of being made unemployed, nor for those millions of young people who cannot find work.

Tackling current and preventing further unemployment should be our highest priority.

Premature calls to reduce the public sector deficit are threatening to derail the effective attempts to stimulate the economy and address unemployment caused by the downturn.

Kickstarting a national TUC campaign, over 110 delegates attended the Northern TUC's “Speaking up for Public Services” event in Newcastle upon Tyne on the 15th March. Chaired by Gill Hale, the Panel of speakers included high profile General

Speaking up forPublic

Services

Secretaries and national figures as well as Senior Regional Union Representatives.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of Unison congratulated the TUC for organising the event and commended the publication that was being launched ('Speaking up for Public Services - Making the case for the Northern Region').

who are thinking about cutting public services that workers cannot be blamed for this crisis when banks received £1m in bonuses for risking our money. Over half of workers in this region depend on public sector contracts.

“For every £1 a public sector worker earns, 70p goes back into the local economy. The human cost of cuts in the public sector is local people left without services. All public sector unions need to stand together - we will not tolerate attacks on our members, their pay and their jobs.”

Dave Prentis: General Secretary of Unison

Dave spoke with real commitment about these being hard times for the working class and working people. He said: “Over one million workers have lost their jobs in the past year and workers are experiencing pay cuts, cuts to benefits, the loss of their homes and many face the real possibility of poverty in retirement.

40% of young black people and 25% of white people will leave school without a job.

“At a time when frontline services are needed more than ever, public sector workers are being lined up to pay the price for the greed of others. It's time for our unions to be strong and we will not stand by while they attack all that we hold dear.”

Speaking about the Unison launch of 'A Million Voices for Public Services' campaign (www.unison.org.uk/million), he said: “We need to be clear to politicians of every party

Colin Smith: GMB

Colin Smith of the GMB then called on the Labour Government to honour its duty to protect public services, declaring that trade unions are key to preventing the dismantling of the public sector. Colin acknowledged that no change is not an option. He said: “We need to improve services and manage change, as there will be change. We need to organise and campaign jointly to recruit members and get them involved in trade unions and ensure any disputes are coordinated and ensure that all trade unions work together to protect services and jobs.”

At a time of growing unemployment it is untenable the Government has taken the decision to make cuts to educational provision to the unemployed with a 20% cut to adult education budget.

Iain Owens, Regional Secretary of UCU, said: “This especially affects areas like Northumberland which has a disproportionately high number of unemployed people dependent on further education.

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Iain Owens: Regional Secretary of UCU

“Cuts to higher education will affect all six universities in the region with Cumbria being the most at risk. The University of Cumbria has only existed for two and half years and there is a real threat that education provision at the University will cease. UCU are working jointly with Unison on the 'Our University, Our Jobs and Our Community' campaign to protect jobs and education provision in the county.”

Delegates then heard about the national publication produced for the TUC by APSE (The Association of Public Service Excellence) called 'Speaking up for Public Services - the vital role of the public sector in and beyond the recession' and brings together evidence which demonstrates that sustaining public services is vital to economic recovery and the future prosperity of the country.

Cuts in public spending would have a negative effect on future competitiveness and would impact on the most vulnerable and needy in society. Andy Mud, co-author of the publication, said: “Cuts to public services are not inevitable, there is a choice. There is a need for a more progressive tax system. The UK loses up to an estimated £36bn a year through tax avoidance and evasion.

A restructure is necessary to restore financial stability and to start to address the gap between the rich and poor. History shows that recessions are cyclical and we need to look at laying down the foundations for the next economic downturn over the next 10 years.”

Billy Hayes: General Secretary of the CWU

Following a Q&A session, the Chair introduced Billy Hayes, General Secretary of the CWU. Representing postal workers and those that work in communications and financial services, Billy, said: “Economic policy being adopted by all major parties seems to indicate savage cuts to public services, it's just about how much and when. We cannot simply rely on ideology, we need a vision of what we want the future to look like that embraces democracy, allows us to have our say and advocates independence for trade unions.”

Mick Shaw: President of FBU

Mick Shaw, President of the FBU, voiced his concern to delegates that the next 3-5 years could be horrific. He said: “Public sector workers did not cause the recession. While our members face threats to jobs and pay freezes, salaries of Chief Fire Officers and University Vice Chancellors are rising disproportionately.

“Cuts in services will mean longer waiting times for emergency services with the likely result of more fire deaths. We need an alternative argument and a campaign strategy that takes us beyond the general election.

Attacking us is not the answer.”

Mark Serwotka: General Secretary of PCS

Finally, Mark Serwotka, General Secretary of PCS, encouraged Reps to use the TUC’s 'Speaking up for Public Services’ in their branches and workplaces. He said: “The Civil Service employs over 33,000 workers in the region, workers who play a vital role but are so often forgotten and I am proud to pay tribute to those workers today.

“The reality is the main political parties believe the deficit can only be solved by cutting public services. There have been 100,000 civil service job cuts under Labour. We need to agree practical steps to defend services and jobs, have an alternative argument. Leading up to the election, PCS will be running a high profile “Make Your Vote Count” campaign. We need to stand together as a united labour and trade union movement and support the thousands of dedicated workers that continue to provide high quality public services.”

Speaking after the conference, Kevin Rowan, Regional Secretary Northern TUC, said: “Public spending cuts would only add to economic decline at this stage. Adding redundant public sector workers to the already swollen ranks of the unemployed will impose additional pressures on benefit budgets and further reduce spending power within the economy as a whole. The public sector is an important lynchpin not just in itself but also in terms of the wider economy.

“Not only would public sector workers and public services suffer from spending cuts.

The business community, in particular the North East Chamber of Commerce, has acknowledged that the wider economy would also take a hit from cuts to public expenditure through the inevitable impact on the £125bn spent annually on public sector procurement.

“Cuts may help balance the books in the medium term, but the impact on business, employment and essential services would increase economic and social costs very quickly and would result in serious, long term, structural damage. Now is the time to see public services and public spending as part of the solution, not part of the problem.

“The public sector has provided a much needed safety net against the economic and social damage of the recession. It will be an essential part of the route-map out of the downturn, helping individuals, families and businesses recover through direct employment, employability support and creating the infrastructure for commerce to prosper.”

Now, more than ever, it's time to Speak up for Public Services.

A copy of the TUC publication 'Speaking up for Public Services - Making the case in the Northern Region' can be downloaded from: www.tuc.org.uk/publicsector/tuc-17736-f0.cfm?regional=3

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Making a difference at the Good Society Conference Most of us, when asked, would agree we want to live in a good society. Very often it is the reason we became trade unionists; to help to improve the lives of others, but understanding more about a range of challenges is critical to effectively representing members’ interests and advancing progress towards an equal society.

With this in mind, the TUC hosted a special “Good Society” conference in conjunction with Compass and Freidrich Ebert Stiftung that included contributions from an array of distinguished academics, writers and political commentators to develop a vision for a good society.

Top of delegates’ agenda was the state of the economy. Governments around the world have funded bank bail outs to the tune of billions of pounds. Astonishingly, there is an apparent unwillingness to overhaul an economic system that enables banks to take unmitigated risks, suppress wages and the cost of goods, encourage debt, fuel an unsustainable property and consumer spending boom. This produced the financial crisis argued Ann Pettifor, Executive Director of Advocacy International, not the actions of ordinary workers. All too often she claimed, the “little guy is asked to be the fall guy.”

Ann Pettifor: Executive Director of Advoacy Int.

Trade union demands for higher wages are blamed for inflationary pressures in the

Achieving the Good Society economy. This is a false premise. Trade unions are not responsible for inflation and should not be labelled as such. Neither should ordinary people be expected to pay over the odds for aspiring to have a good job; own their own home; be able to access good quality public services; live in safe communities; contribute a fair share in tax, with a reasonable amount of disposable income to spend that will ultimately benefit the economy.

Trade unions have long voiced concerns that ongoing decline in manufacturing sectors, coupled with an over reliance on service sector employment, would undermine the UK’s productivity and economic competitiveness. Successive Governments’ failure to invest in industrial infrastructure and employer reluctance to provide workforce training has proved short-sighted.

Professor John Tomaney highlighted that although the financial sector was teetering on the verge of collapse before Government stepped in, manufacturing output has been hit hardest. The financial crisis has shed new light on the North-South divide and illustrated the dangers of uneven growth in different parts of the UK. Comparatively, the North has suffered higher rates of unemployment since the recession began as this part of the country is more reliant on manufacturing than the South, where the financial sector remains intact.

This gap in economic performance suggests the North will take longer to recover from recession and underlines the importance of deliberate policies to close the wealth gap instead of concentrating resources in the South East, which is relatively affluent.

Clearly, how the economy is run partly determines the wellbeing of a society and how wealth is shared among the general population.

Larry Elliott: Guardian Economics Editor

Larry Elliott, Economics Editor for the Guardian declared that ordinary citizens should not be expected to pay the price of corporate failure.

To create a ‘good society: Banks need to be better regulated and repay their debts. The activities of the financial services industry should be stringently controlled to help people effectively manage personal debt.

The structure of the economy needs to accommodate a mix of industries and actively promote growth in regions that are lagging behind.

Governments should commit to making long-term investment decisions; building, maintaining and re-using assets that will serve the economy and society for future generations.

Property developers must be required to cater for the needs of a changing population and acknowledge the market is failing to meet demand for affordable housing.

Workers need to exercise collective influence to ensure their pensions and savings are invested ethically. The financial system should incentivise institutions to make ethical choices.

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Poul Rasmussen: President Party of European Socialists

Paul Noon: General Secretary of Prospect

Paul Nowak: Head of Organising for the TUC

The distinguished panel of speakers also included: Poul Rasmussen, President, Party of European Socialists; Paul Noon, General Secretary of Prospect; Paul Nowak, Head of Organising for the TUC and Damian Thomas, Head of Research at the Centre for Partnership and Performance in Dublin.

Amidst an atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity it is imperative trade unions exercise collective strength and utilise their political leverage to usher in a new era of economic and social change.

It is now up to us to spell out what reforms are needed to improve the lives of trade union members and their families in the Northern region.

Thrifty accountancy is not the only pre-requisite to govern, nor is it a sufficiently good reason to be elected to office. Elected representatives, whether in the workplace or at the ballot box, seek a higher purpose and better standard.

Solving the worst crisis in a generation demands a new settlement between workers, employers, Government, and the people. This is crucial to create the right conditions for sustainable economic growth and the provision of good quality public services.

Damian Thomas: Head of Research at the Centre for Partnership and Performance in Dublin.Â

Speakers focussed on the key policy and strategic areas of: The Welfare State Public Services Climate Change Workplace Bargaining Agendas

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Gail Cartmail, Unite Assistant General Secretary, eloquently summarised trade unions’ vision of a good society: a more progressive taxation system; investment in public services and infrastructure; an affordable house building programme; the enforcement of existing employment rights and greater commitment to equality, antidiscrimination and community cohesion.

Gail Cartmail: Unite Assistant General Secretary

Issue 23 unionsnorth

Trimdon plays host to this year’s Hope not Hate event on Labour Party Anniversary

Clare Williams, Chair of the Northern TUC Race Advisory Group welcomed union activists and anti-racism campaigners to the fourth annual Hope not Hate event, held at Trimdon Labour Club on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February.

The event coincided with the very date the fledgling Labour Party was founded at a meeting in Memorial Hall, London some 110 years ago.

Clare also congratulated Phil Wilson, MP for Sedgefield, for organising the event with the TUC and for his strong leadership in mobilising communities across County Durham to counter the BNP. She said it was a credit to the work of local trade union branches and local anti-racism coalitions that the BNP has not secured any seats in this region; but there is still work to be done.

During his address, Phil Wilson thanked Trimdon Concert Brass band for playing and the NUM for bringing so many trade union banners to display around the hall, celebrating the proud history and heritage of the coal mining industry. He said the BNP promote simple solutions to complicated issues and the only way to beat them is to deal with local issues, getting back to grass roots and to rebuild the Labour Party and get in touch with the needs of people in our communities.

Keynote speaker Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was a real pleasure to address trade union colleagues on the 110th anniversary of the Labour Party, in a location which has such strong links to the trade union movement. He announced he was proud of the fact that Labour achieved the first black MP, first Asian Minister and first black woman minister and that it was great the trade union

Hope not Hate movement is involved in the Hope not Hate campaign.

During the event, two main issues came up time and time again – immigration and the economy. Immigration has been unquestionably beneficial for this country, culturally and socially, but it is not just a UK issue. There has been a huge explosion in migration around the world and the UK is ranked 15 out of 27 in the foreign population immigration statistics in Europe.

Speaker Feargal Sharkey explained that he believes music and culture are some of the best ways to get the anti-racism message across. He also discussed moving on 68 years from the discussions of the 1900s to

Derry with a population of 100,000 where 60% of inhabitants were of one religious belief, did not have a job and did not have the right to vote. He had joined many civil rights marches with his brothers and remembers sheltering under a bridge on yet another march. He is very aware of what intolerance, division, lack of understanding of others’ beliefs can do, and in the extreme, the bloodshed this can cause. Northern Ireland has come a long way since then in part due to the simple power of dialogue. Music reflects the community, its beliefs and goals and the right to be treated as equal in your own community.

The final keynote speaker was Frances O’Grady, TUC Deputy General Secretary. In her comments Frances stressed how important it was to have the support of local MPs like Phil Wilson and Helen Goodman in taking on the BNP. She said that the trade unions are in a unique position to use their organising skills to combat and counter the BNP and all it stands for, especially as we are less than 70 days away from local elections, where a key issue will be electoral turnout.

The unity and collective strength we share as trade unionists will always matter and it is the politics of hope not hate that shapes all our futures.

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ACT NOW! NOW! ACT

ORWE WEALL ALLSINK SINK OR WE ALL SINK OR

Save our Maritime Skills

Campaign calls on the Government to help seafarers with training and employment

presented the Government with a joint package of proposals on seafarer training. As they are still waiting for a decision, a refreshed package was tabled earlier this year.

Maritime unions RMT and Nautilus are lobbying the Government to provide longawaited support for UK seafarers. The TUC is also supporting the campaign and encouraging all unions to raise awareness and give their backing.

As an island nation, Britain relies heavily on ships and seafarers for the safe and efficient

movement of nearly all imports and exports.

Maritime expertise however is in danger particularly with the recent announcement of major redundancies by Maersk, one of the largest employers and trainers of British seafarers.

Over two years ago unions and shipowners

Affordable credit for all One of the less visible signs of the economic downturn and recession has been the increased cost of unsecured finance The interest rates charged by credit card companies and banks have continued to rise despite the fall in the Bank of England base rate. Added to this there has been a marked increase in the efforts of loan sharks and less creditable lenders to exploit the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

As many as two million adults in this region don’t have access to affordable loans, bank accounts or opportunities to save which makes them vulnerable to loan sharks. The TUC has welcomed and is now represented on a financial inclusion stakeholder group established to help those who are unable to access financial services.

The group is considering a range of actions to ensure the provision of affordable credit.

The aim is to ensure no one in the north east should encounter difficulties understanding, accessing or using legitimate financial 08

services and products that are appropriate to their needs. The group will work with stakeholders to identify those areas where financial inclusion or exclusion has a major impact on health, education, employment, crime and disorder, housing, equality and diversity and understand how financial inclusion can positively impact on communities.

The first actions include mapping out of existing financial inclusion provision, including the services of “Five Lamps” operating across the region. Five Lamps offer affordable credit in these areas and have a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions to provide 1800 loans this year. Five Lamps have also been growing rapidly and had been awarded funding through the Third Sector Capacity Fund to develop a business model to provide a vision for a ‘Great North Loan Fund’.

In 2007 the Financial Inclusion Taskforce employed Experian to map the demand for, and the supply of, affordable credit nationally.

This research highlighted a mismatch between

Individuals who want to join in the campaign can sign the Downing Street E-Petition or send a postcard or e-card to their local MP, supporting the package and raising their concerns about the industry’s future.

To get involved visit: www.nautilusint.org for more information or contact: Nautilus, RMT or Alice Hood at the TUC on 0207 467 1225 Email: ahood@tuc.org.uk

TUC joins financial inclusion stakeholder group to ensure finance is affordable for those most in need the high levels of demand and the low levels of supply in the North East. Today, despite best efforts, the supply of affordable credit is still, at best, patchy with plenty of room for improvement.

There is much to do in providing affordable finance and that the current credit union sector in the region didn’t have the resource to grow the supply of affordable credit to the level required. It was also noted by the group that the situation had seen some improvement due to the growth of Five Lamps’ micro-loan fund. Five Lamps is currently operating in North Yorkshire, Teesside, County Durham , Newcastle and Northumberland.

This newly formed stakeholder group, working with Five Lamps, provides a significant opportunity to improve the provision of affordable credit in the North East and we look forward to positive developments in the weeks and months ahead.

POA Learning HMP Frankland - Durham

New Learning Centre a fitting tribute HMP Frankland officially opens its POA Learning Centre as a fitting tribute to a World War veteran.

Named after the last World War One veteran Harry Patch, who died last year, the Centre is a result of several months of negotiations, organising and facilitating between Ian Blades, Branch Secretary of the POA at Durham; Tim Allen, Governor; Emma Bowditch, POA Learning Co-ordinator and Stewart Herkes, Centre Manager at HMP Frankland.

Speaking at the opening Tim Allen, Governor of HMP Durham, commented that it was great to be working in partnership with the POA to enable staff at HMP Durham to engage in learning and development. Colin Moses, POA National Chairman said that it was good to see HMP Durham had advanced in such a forward thinking manner since he initially worked there 24 years ago.

The Harry Patch Centre will be offering a variety of courses for leisure and qualifications. Learning Surveys will determine the courses that are provided and there has already been an excellent

response with over 140 returns from the staff. POA members are especially welcome but the centre is open to their families and friends, the local community and members of other unions.

HMP Acklington - Bright Sparks

LRF...music to their ears and Jenna enjoyed the experience so much they signed up for further tuition at the Brightsparks POA Learning Centre at Acklington Prison and have been attending most weeks ever since.

Last year’s Learning Revolution Festival (LRF) was a chance for the trade unions and the community to connect - that’s certainly what happened in a fishing village in Northumberland.

Conrad Stewart and Jenna Moffatt from Craster saw an advert in the local paper for the Learning Revolution Festival

event in Amble which featured an opportunity to try the bagpipes.

Learning to play was something that Conrad in particular had always wanted to do, so they went along.

In the hands of bagpipe expert and Prison Officer Steve Christie, Conrad

Learning the bagpipes is not something which is on offer in many locations so without Brightsparks and Steve, Conrad and Jenna might never have had the chance to take them up.

Armed with their new hobby, Conrad and Jenna juggle work and their children to get in some daily practice and hope that they can turn into proficient bagpipe players in the future, all thanks to the LRF. unionsnorth issue 23

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Learning KP Foods - Teesside

KP has the recipe for successful learning ULR at KP Foods in Teesside, Jean McDermottroe, tells how the learning centre is helping colleagues.

My task is to speak to as many colleagues as possible and to promote the benefits of our new learning centre.

In particular I’m keen to remove the stigma surrounding maths and English.

Last May we held our Learning at Work Day and invited David Hedgecock from the City of Sunderland College to talk about skills for life and asked employees to register if they were interested in completing an initial skills assessment.

Angela Eason, who has worked at KP for several years as a machine technician, was very sensitive about the subject of maths and found exams particularly daunting and distressing.

This was stopping Angela going for internal vacancies and was seriously affecting her confidence.

Sharing my own experiences gave me the opportunity to show that learning as an adult was completely different and we both registered for an assessment.

The assessment results showed that Angela would be working towards the Level 2 qualification and she was extremely happy and surprised with the result. She has gone on to brush

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Confidence showing Angela (right) takes posing for the press with maths guru Johnny Ball in her stride

up on her maths skills and has gained her level 2 qualification. She is now waiting to start on her English and has also attended a basic and intermediate digital photography course.

Kath Ward, 50, has worked at KP since she left school and I’ve known her for many years as we are both instructors in the training department.

After the opening of the learning centre we were in search of learners who wished to gain maths and English qualifications. As Kath works in the same department she was aware of this and mentioned she would like to study both these subjects, especially maths.

As a training instructor it is Kath’s role to teach employees all aspects of the

production role from how to pack boxes to running complex machinery. Kath has always taken her role very seriously and as a training instructor Kath is full of confidence but when it came to maths it was a different story as she had no confidence at all.

Our maths programme however has changed all that. Kath put a great deal of effort and time into her classes, including spending many hours at home studying. She has just sat and passed her maths test and plans to move on to the next level. She has also completed a basic digital photography course, and is halfway through the intermediate course and has completed the first part of a ULR course so she can then pass on some of her own experiences to other learners.

I’m delighted that Angela and Kath have achieved so much and that as part of my role as a ULR, I’ve been able to make them feel at ease and give them the confidence that they could achieve their goals.

Kath (left) enjoying her maths workshop.

Lifelong Learning Barclaycard - Stockton

Positive Steps to reduce sickness Sean Green from Barclaycard talks about tackling stress at work head-on.

As a full time Learning Coordinator based at Barclaycard in Stockton, I was invited to an event at Barclays Bank in Doxford Park Sunderland last summer. This included local providers and Primary Care Trusts (PCT's) looking to raise awareness across various learning and health agendas.

The event highlighted the various

issues which affect our colleagues within the call centre environment and I was concerned to learn that a recent government survey predicted that stress related issues would be the single biggest cause of sickness within the workplace by 2020.

It made me realise that we needed to start addressing this immediately, so I arranged a meeting with Tom Ross from the TUC and Elaine Laycock who represents the Employee Relations Department within Barclaycard Stockton.

Initially this wasn’t something that Barclaycard would commit to funding, but after months of negotiation and figures which revealed that in Q3 of last year 43% of all sickness within Barclaycard Stockton was stress related, we got the go ahead for a two day ‘Mental Health For All’ workshop.

The workshop was delivered by Emma Power on behalf of Middlesbrough and Stockton MIND in December last year.

It was so well received that in a recent Steering Group meeting the senior management team requested two further workshops these take place in March and June of this year.

The learning journey never ends Congratulations to U.C.A.T.T Northern Regional Safety Advisor Peter Wilson who has graduated from BCS College in Nottingham with a Post Graduate Award in Managing Health and Safety.

For Peter, this is his latest achievement in a learning journey that has enabled him to become a Chartered member of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.

Peter explains: “In the early days I attended TUC funded Health and Safety

courses then went on to level 3 in Occupational Health and Safety. Once appointed full time Regional Safety Advisor I achieved N.V.Q. level 4, then level 5 in Management of Health and Safety. The highest point was the Post

Graduate Award in Managing Health and Safety and Chartered Membership of IOSH.

“I believe all the changes in health and safety mean that employers and trade unions, particularly safety reps, need to work together to improve the workplace.”

John Scott, UCATT Regional Secretary said: “Peter’s commitment to health and safety has gained the respect of employers and the HSE nationally and he is now involved in much of UCATT's national work programme of which health and safety comes high on the agenda.” unionsnorth issue 23

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Learning Agreements TEWV NHS Foundation Trust - South Tyneside Council

Signed and sealed

At the end of 2009, Tees, Esk Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust and South Tyneside Council signed Learning Agreements The Tees, Esk Wear Valley NHS Foundation Trust supports 1.4 million people living in County Durham, Tees Valley and North East Yorkshire with a range of mental health, learning disability and addictive behaviour services. With an annual income of almost £200m the Trust employs about 5,000 staff working across 200 sites.

The Learning Foundations is a joint trade union/employer Learning for all Fund project led by the GMB including Unison, Unite, and RCN. The project works across the Trust to help raise skills levels of union members and non alike at band level 1-4. The Unison Union Learning Fund project ‘Bridges to Learning’ works in partnership with the Learning Foundation project and is

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aimed at career pathways in conjunction with the Open University and the Workers Education Association.

The Learning Agreement signing also presented the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of employees.

Stephen Hughes MEP presented award certificates and said: "This multi union project's aim is to upskill employees to enable them to achieve and aspire thereby making their organisation more efficient and effective."

Tom Brennan, GMB Regional Secretary said: “Along with unionlearn, the GMB is delighted to bring an opportunity for employees to enhance their skills and add value to the employer in this process.”

Davey Hall, Unite Regional Secretary said: “I genuinely believe that this partnership agreement will be beneficial to all Trust employees and ultimately provide for the inclusion of patients and service users.”

South Tyneside Council signed its agreement with its four main trade unions to promote workplace learning among its 7,000 employees. Together the Council and unions are committed to lifelong learning and developing a positive learning culture which will build upon existing efforts to improve skills of the workforce.

Councillor Ed Malcolm, lead member for resources, said: “Investing in learning and development ultimately leads to customer satisfaction, as employees who are trained feel valued and are motivated to provide excellent service.”

Sue Key, Branch Chairman for Unison, said: “I am delighted we are signing the Learning Agreement and look forward to further co-operation in the future.”

John Scott from UCATT, said: “We’re committed to quality training for the construction maintenance workers and we are very pleased to be associated with the South Tyneside Council Learning Partnership.”

Martin Wright, Regional Learning Organiser for Unite, added: “This agreement gives union members greater access and encouragement to continue their personal development.”

Issue 23 unionsnorth

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week the TUC’s own apprentice Alex Rodgers tells his story

Keeping up the good work Britain has a long tradition with apprenticeships’ in the workplace and a recent study by the TUC showed that there are now over 200 different apprenticeships available, so theoretically the choice has never been greater.

Trade unions have always had a strong link to apprenticeships and they work hard to make sure their terms and conditions are respected in the workplace and that they are given the relevant time off to continue their study and also to: Ensure apprentice’s welfare e.g. - health and safety, minimum wage, entitlements and other rights.

Work with providers to promote quality in apprenticeships, e.g. IAG and structured effective training Create a training and learning culture for everyone.

Promote apprenticeships as an investment for the future.

Promote equality and diversity such as parity of pay and equal opportunities.

Encourage both employer and apprentice commitment to full-time employment following apprenticeship This all forms part of the trade union ethos towards Lifelong Learning.

National Apprenticeship Week took place from 1st to 5th February 2010.

Leading by example I have just completed an apprenticeship with the Northern TUC that I started in November 2008 and which led to an NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration.

The apprenticeship programme was delivered

by Access Training, based at Team Valley, Gateshead. The initial apprenticeship programme was due to last 18 months, but through guidance and lots of hard work I was able to complete it in just 10 months.

The apprenticeship itself consisted of six units of work (two compulsory and four my choice).

These units were all based around the skills I would need to complete my job. Most of my course work was completed on site but occasionally I did have to go to Gateshead College to complete some extra training, including the award of an NVQ Level 3 in Numeracy.

My chance to work for TUC came about because of the apprenticeship scheme and learning in the workplace was different to anything I had done before having come straight from sixth form.

When it’s time to leave sixth form or college, many people believe there is nothing else but to go to university but this is simply not the case. Apprenticeships allow you to develop skills and get paid for it.

With most of the work in an apprenticeship being practical you get a feel of what actual work is like and face real life situations experience you simply can’t get sitting in a university classroom. In today’s economic climate apprenticeships could also be a vital way to continue learning.

As university fees soar, young people often find themselves in debt even before their first real pay packet, this is clearly no way for a sustainable future for the student and the country.

This apprenticeship opportunity has helped me gain an understanding of the trade union movement; a sector I would like to stay involved with for the rest of my career. Since finishing my NVQ I am now in the new role of Northern TUC Organising Apprentice.

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Sharing ways to support learners

With the present economic climate being covered across all media channels, it was timely for delegates to become involved in an activity around supporting learners in an economic downturn.

The Regional Supporting Learners (IAG) Event which took place in February at The Assembly Rooms in Newcastle focussed on the latest developments taking place to ‘support learners’ and the new Adult Advancement and Careers Service.

This was facilitated by Ken Gyles, unionlearn’s recovery and recession development worker.

Almost 60 people attended this very important event which brought together ULRs, union reps and union learning organisers from across the North East and Cumbria. As the title suggests, this was about the way unions and ULRs support their learners with additional support from unionlearn, regionally and nationally.

Delegates at the event got to attend two workshops which concentrated on Nextsteps’ Extranet’ for North East IAG practitioners and Promoting Equality through IAG.

Another topic on the learning agenda is higher skills. An activity based around ‘what do employers and learners need to know?’ was facilitated by Julie Robinson, unionlearn project worker and Lesley Houghton, project support consultant.

There was also a great opportunity to look at a demonstration of the new unionlearn webbased Climbing Frame and to sign up to the new climbing frame trials.

Simply hooked on Books Kendra Walker is a BFAWU (Bakers Union) ULR at Warburtons Bakery, leading a small team of ULR’s across the company’s sites at Stockton on Tees and Newburn.

Kendra also co-ordinates a union led Learning Project funded by the Northern Region TUC/Unionlearn Learning for all Fund.

When the project at Warburtons began in July 2009 one of its main objectives was to engage staff who required Skills for Life support.

The Six Book Challenge has proved to be one of the most effective tools in engaging learners requiring literacy support and to date 54 employees have completed the challenge.

Diane Moore, a single parent, was persuaded

by Kendra Walker to try the Challenge. Diane’s initial reaction was ‘I’ve never read a book in my life; I just don’t see the point’.

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Best practice and new approaches on the agenda for union learning experts

With some trepidation and a lot of anxiety Diane, supported by the ULR’s, began the Challenge and realised that she needed to address her literacy skills so she enrolled on a literacy course delivered by Stockton Riverside College.

Now, several months later, Diane has successfully completed the Six Book Challenge saying:

“I’m amazed at myself. Before this I could not see the point in reading a book at all.”

Armed with her new found love of books, Diane and her young family have joined their local library and reading is her new hobby.

Without the ULR’s at Warburtons and the Six Book Challenge, Diane and many others would be missing out on the joy of reading.

The feedback from delegates was very good, with comments on the quality activities and the content of the workshops at the event.

Warburton Six Book Challenge turns non-readers into bookworms

Issue 23 unionsnorth

TUC and NHS join forces to show how working together brings workplace health and wellbeing

Over 240 delegates attended the NewcastleGateshead Hilton in January for a groundbreaking conference on wellbeing in the workplace hosted jointly by the TUC and NHS. Speaking about the Workplace Health and Wellbeing project Tom Ross from the TUC and Chair of the event said it is one of the most exciting and positive pieces of work he has been involved in as whether it's the employer, trade union or indeed the NHS, everybody who participates wins.

Kevin Rowan, TUC Regional Secretary said the centrality of workplace health in the regional health strategy was an important step in encouraging trade unions and employers to work together to tackle health and wellbeing at work. All the evidence and experience shows that if we manage to make improvements to health and wellbeing in the workplace this has immediate effects on workers as well as making improvements to productivity and business costs.

Good Work is Good for You!

way in this area of work. Our challenge is to support more reps and get it firmly on the agenda in more workplaces benefiting more members in the region.

Professor Stephen Singleton, Regional Director, Public Health North East said that as a region the North East has a disproportionately high rate of lung cancer which is a legacy of our asbestos past but that the smoking rate is falling faster here than in any other region in the country.

He continued to say that The Better Health, Fairer Health Strategy sets out a clear vision to take us from where we are now to where we want to be and that the process of transformation has begun and the North East is leading the way.

Dame Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work and author of the National Review of the Health of Britain's Working Age

Population also spoke at the conference. She discussed the need to maximise the number of good working years for each of us as it’s good for our mental and physical health. She also presented the Better Health at Work Awards to 70 organisations in the region as part of the event.

Final speaker James Ramsbotham, Chief Executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce summed up the essence of the event by saying that something very exciting is happening in the North East with more and more employers getting involved in the health and wellbeing agenda, working in partnership with organisations such as the TUC and the NHS. To find out more and how you can get involved in the Better Health at Work scheme contact Tom Ross on 0191 232 3175 or email: tross@tuc.org.uk.

Trade union representatives are demonstrating that by working well with supportive employers and the professional help of PCT workplace health advisors, they can make a truly dramatic difference to the health, wellbeing and quality of life of their members. This continues to be an area of trade union work that attracts massive enthusiasm from trade union reps and has a fantastic and sustainable benefit for workers. It is a feather in the cap of trade unions in this region that we are leading the

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unionsnorth Issue 23

Leaders in smarter working Gateshead Council has become the first local authority in the country working towards the new Work Wise Standard.

Gateshead Council becomes the first local authority to sign up to the Work Wise Concordat

Smarter Working Practices Award for employers with over 50 staff at the recent Equality North East Awards.

Sarah Stewart, Project Director, Work Wise North East, said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Gateshead Council as an active member of the campaign at a time when the benefits of smarter working are really starting to add up.”

As a mark of excellence, Work Wise demonstrates understanding and use of smarter working techniques as a strategic planning tool, staff involvement in defining future strategies and vision in planning for the future.

The Council has a workforce of some 10,000 people spanning 1,200 types of job and the decision to sign the Concordat follows on from winning the Work Wise sponsored

Jeff Dean, Director of Corporate Services, Gateshead Council, said: “The adoption of smarter working practices has already led to a greater focus on output instead of just the number of hours worked. This shift has helped to attract and retain a more diverse workforce and a greater number of women, people with disabilities and those from black and ethnic minority backgrounds. I would encourage all local authorities to embrace the thinking behind the Work Wise campaign.”

Signing the Concordat (L to R) Sarah Stewart, WWNE Project Director, Simon Roberson, WWNE Chair, Jeff Dean, Director of Corporate Services, Gateshead Council, Mike Barker, Strategic Director, Legal and Corporate Services, Gateshed Council

Inspired learning Paul Greenwood is a Unite Branch Secretary, ULR, Health and Safety rep and Equality rep at Veriplast Durham.

In 2007 he started a journey which was to inspire and delight not only him but others.

Paul signed up to take advantage of the unionlearn IAG NVQ courses, his first experience of a level 3 NVQ and his first real learning experience since leaving school with 9 CSEs. This was to signal the opening of the learning flood gates and the start of his very impressive journey which is even more remarkable as Paul is battling serious debilitating health problems.

Now a dab hand at learning he wanted to help others so completed a Lay Tutors course which will enable him to deliver and support trade union courses throughout the Country.

His passion for learning is infectious and he has inspired many people to embark on their own journey including his wife Jacqui who’s now become a ULR.

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Issue 23 unionsnorth

Cumbria County Council achieves its Go Award with a little help from ULRs January 2010 saw Cumbria County Council proudly pick up its Go (Get On local government) Award which was presented with distinction and in recognition of the Council’s commitment to improve Skills for Life in the workforce.

As part of the external assessment for the award, eight areas were looked at including working in partnership which scored the highest mark across all eight categories with nine out of ten. The role the ULR’s played in working together was singled out as crucial in the Council’s success.

It took the trade unions around three years of work to get a Learning Agreement put in place to cover the Council’s 18,000 strong workforce and it has been hailed as the turning point on which Skills for Life training and development fell into place.

Amanda Towers, Skills Manager at Cumbria County Council's Adult Education Service, said: "The success we've had in Cumbria in our Skills for Life programme has already reaped benefits through achieving a distinction in the GO Award and also getting the IDeA National Excellence Award.

“It has been a real pleasure to work with both GMB and Unison to integrate Skills for Life across the Council. The scheme not only builds the skills and confidence of our employees, it also gives us a clear direction and commitment as an organisation and improves partnership working.

“We share a common aim: wanting adults to have the opportunity to develop their skills and progress in life and work. We now hope to go onwards and upwards to achieve the Skills Award.”

Unionlearn funding has enabled the GMB to employ two Learning Organisers in Cumbria who, work directly with employers in the area including Cumbria County Council.

Go on Cumbria!

Gill Baillie, one of the Learning Organisers at the GMB, said: “The fruits of this success are down to the good learning agreement which was put in place and the commitment to Skills for Life by Cumbria County Council.

“In these times of economic uncertainty and added pressure on public services, working together and a commitment to upskill the workforce could not come at a more crucial time.”

Tony Nisbet is the other Learning and Skills Organiser at the GMB. He’s been in his role for eight years and has been working with Cumbria County Council for the last six years.

He said: “It was critical to get the right strategy

in place. Although the Learning Agreement took time to pull together and get agreed it has proved to be a winning strategy.

“We’re delighted for Cumbria County Council and equally pleased this award will lead on to other training and development initiatives within the authority as they now hope to use the foundations of this Go Award as a base to work towards achieving the Skills Award which helps staff achieve wider skills, not just Skills for Life.

“This template and its success has also resulted in all the local authorities in Cumbria signing a skills pledge which we’re equally delighted about.”

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unionsnorth Issue 23

From North East to North West what’s on offer to union learners

Spotlight on trade union education services The WEA (Workers’ Educational Association) in Cumbria has been working in partnership with TUC Education and unionlearn for a number of years providing quality trade union education to a whole range of unionised workplace reps.

Working across the county, there are three main tutors delivering the programme including Steve Hunter who runs the entire programme at the Trades Hall in Workington, Bernard Atkinson who delivers on a part time basis in south Cumbria and Chris Thackrah (Coordinator) who has been delivering courses in and around the Furness area for eleven years.

From the Workington training room WEA offers courses for workplace reps, health and safety reps as well as union learning reps. In the south of the county it offers the same but also the Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety.

The TUC Education Department at City of Sunderland College goes from strength to strength

Workington Union Representatives Union Representatives Union Representatives Health & Safety Next Steps for Safety Reps

WEA’s Forthcoming Courses 2010 Stage 1 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 1

12 Wednesdays from 21 April 5 Thursdays from 22 April 5 Thursdays from 10 June 12 Tuesdays from 20 April 12 Wednesdays from 21 April

Stage 1

12 Wednesdays from 21 April

Stage 1

12 Thursdays from 22 April 12 Tuesdays from 20 April 12 Wednesdays from 21 April

Barrow Union Representatives Stepping Up Formerly Known as Union Reps Stage 2 Health & Safety Next Steps for Safety Reps

If you would like any more information on any of these courses please contact: Steve Hunter, Tutor on 07917133866, email:shunter@wea.org.uk or Chris Thackrah, Co ordinator on 07815841347 email: cthackrah@wea.org.uk

TUC Education... ...on course in Sunderland

Trade union representatives are continuing to benefit from the friendly, relaxed and professional learning environment on offer at the City of Sunderland College where there is a full range of courses available to them.

The college also offers a range of short courses each term and last term it successfully delivered the Equality for ULR’s course which helps develop the ULR’s knowledge and understanding of equality issues for disadvantaged groups of workers.

The core course programme includes Union Representative Stage 1, Stepping Up, Diploma in Employment Law, Health & Safety Stage 1, Next Steps for Safety Reps, Diploma in Occupational Health & Safety, Union Learning Rep Part 1 and Union Learning Rep Part 2.

Next term this course will be advertised alongside a range of other short courses aimed at providing ULR’s with progression routes following the completion of the Part 1 and Part 2 courses. Also on offer for the first time will be the Environmental Issues in the Workplace course which is designed for

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members and reps who have an interest in the subject and are looking to raise awareness of the issue in their workplace.

In addition to the range of courses on offer, the college works in partnership with individual trade unions to facilitate bespoke training programmes.

If you require further information about the courses or would like to reserve a place please contact Garry Hunter, TUC Coordinator by telephone on 0191 5116707 or email: garry.hunter@citysun.ac.uk

Issue 22 unionsnorth

Contacts: Kevin Rowan Northern TUC Regional Secretary krowan@tuc.org.uk Ian West Regional Education Officer iwest@tuc.org.uk Beth Farhat Union Development Co-ordinator bfarhat@tuc.org.uk Dave Storrie Regional Development Worker dstorrie@tuc.org.uk Linda Hughes Regional Development Worker lhughes@tuc.org.uk Jo Gonzalez-Chamberlain Development Worker, Learning for All Fund jgonzalez-chamberlain@tuc.org.uk Julia Watson u-net Performance and Support Officer jwatson@tuc.org.uk Tom Ross Policy Project Worker tross@tuc.org.uk Melanie Lowden Secretary/Office Manager mlowden@tuc.org.uk

Join a Union opens for business On Monday February 1st the TUC launched its new ‘Join a Union’ telephone line.

The service will provide callers with information on the appropriate trade union for them to join based on where they work, the job they do and if a trade union is already recognised by their employer.

Over 70 per cent of non-union members think

events

For more information on events or issues please contact the Northern TUC

Ben Sellers Vulnerable Workers Project Worker bsellers@tuc.org.uk Anne Aitkenhead Unionlearn Project Assistant aaitkenhead@tuc.org.uk David Nicholson Project Worker dnicholson@tuc.org.uk Pat Winter Project Worker pwinter@tuc.org.uk

Joe McGuigan Project Worker jmcguigan@tuc.org.uk Ken Gyles Skills (Recession & Recovery) Development Worker kgyles@tuc.org.uk

The number for the ‘Join a Union’ line remains the same as for the ‘Know Your Rights’ line: 0870 600 4882. The greeting will continue to sign post callers with 'Know Your Rights' enquiries to the appropriate helplines and websites.

Line opening hours will be Monday to Friday: 8am to 9pm and Saturday: 9am to 5pm.

Northern TUC Commercial Union House 5th Floor, 39 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QE Telephone 0191 232 3175 or email northern@tuc.org.uk

April 2010 Calendar

May 2010 Continued

13

Executive Committee TUC Regional Office

16

Cumbria Forum Barrow in Furness

28

Workers Memorial Day Memorial Hall, Wallsend

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Engage - The Older Workers' Project Event Venue TBC

30

ELSF St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne

25

Northern Pensions Conference Northumbria University 25/26 June

22

Northern TUC Annual Conference Hilton Hotel, Gateshead 22/23 May

June 2010 Calendar

May 2010 Calendar

Julie Robinson Higher Level Skills Project Worker jrobinson@tuc.org.uk Mike Tansey Project Worker mtansey@tuc.org.uk

trade unions are a good thing with a significant number of them saying they haven’t joined a union because they haven’t had the opportunity or no-one has asked them. Many workers are not aware of how to join a trade union or indeed which union to join. Callers will be sent a letter with details of the recommended union and the union will also be notified and given the caller’s details.

July 2010 Calendar

13

H & S Working Party TUC Regional Office

01

LGBT Conference 01/02 July Congress House Offices, London

14

Regional Disability Event St James’ Park, Newcastle upon Tyne

07

Executive Committee TUC Regional Office

19

National TUC Disability Conference 19/20 May - Venue TBC

www.unionlearn.org.uk/northern • www.tuc.org.uk/northern

Graeme Rushton Project Worker, Cumbria grushton@tuc.org.uk Copyright in this publication is held by the TUC unless otherwise stated. For further copies of this item contact Northern TUC on 0191 232 3175 or via Email northern@tuc.org.uk. This text may also be made available, on request, in accessible formats such as braille, audio tape and large print, at no extra cost.