Can you Ban Blacklisting?

Colleagues,

Today the newly formed Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched the consultation exercise on drafting statutory protection for trade union activists and members from blacklisting by employers.

You may remember previous posts on this matter and the recent controversy when the Consulting Association Ltd were found to have been providing employers in the construction industry with details of those with an activist background.

At the time I was surprised not that the disgraceful activity was happening but that the company and employers were so inept that the were caught out.

The consultation seeks to gain views on:

The definition of a blacklist of trade unionists and the prohibition of the compilation, dissemination and use of such blacklists;
making it unlawful for organisations to refuse employment, to dismiss an employee or otherwise cause detriment to a worker for a reason related to a blacklist;
making it unlawful for an employment agency to refuse a service to a worker for a reason related to a blacklist;
providing for the employment tribunal to hear complaints about alleged breaches and award remedies based on existing trade union law; and
an alternative, to provide for the courts to hear complaints from any persons that they have suffered loss or potential loss because of a prohibited blacklisting activity

Naturally all unions are encouraged to provide a response and further details are at:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/page52145.html

My question here though is whether, despite new, welcome legislation, you will ever properly be able to squash a practice that has existed as long as trade unions have.

Comments welcome.

Cheers

Ian

What's the Point of Trade Union Leadership?

Colleagues,

So much of my work these days focuses on trade union leadership particularly within the debate around decline and renewal. Amongst other areas of work I have been monitoring for the GFTU the roll-out of a pilot series of courses on leadership and management, accredited by the Institute for Leadership and Management (ILM), at Northern College.

This weekend I am teaching on a leadership development course that falls under the auspices of a 2008-10 GFTU-Ruskin College UMF project around researching and developing future leaders.

Just recently though I have been wondering about the role and significance of classic trade union leaders not least Ken Gill (pictured above) who sadly passed away recently. Even the right-wing press gave him grudging credit for his discipline, deceny and effectivness: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article6359702.ece

In contrast however, we have recently witnessed highly effective unlawful industrial action organised across the energy sector (Lindsey Oil Refinery strikers pictured left) by a different type of grassroots leadership acting autonomously, utilising ICT effectively and acting concertedly in the face of significant mangerial agression and transgression.

Gregor Gall has chronicled this phenomenon and in a piece in the Guardian in June stated:

The current dispute has two dimensions. One is that the workers concerned are capable and willing, unlike many other workers (unionised or not), to take robust collective action to defend their right to work in the midst of a recession. This comes down not just to being unionised but being well organised at the workplace level with shop stewards, mass meetings and a collective confidence to act. Underlying this is the nature of the labour market in the industry where job security is absent with building projects beginning and ending when completed, with employment contracts based on this.

See the full article at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/19/lindsey-oil-refinery-strikes

In thinking this through and placing it within the broader discussions around the future shape and function of trade unionism (particularly in the UK) the distinctions between transformational and transaction leaderships of old become very interesting.

I do ask trade union studies students of this subject what their perspective is of leadership for the future. Typically the reply is that it must be much more diverse, reflective of the views and aspirations of workers and supportive of methods to effect and reflect responsive in structure and policy - tall orders indeed!

At the same time however significant interest in this new layer of trade union education should, I think, be seen as one way to, albeit gradually, to question where we are going as a movement and to properly refine and understand who should be in the vanguard of this.

If I can pose a question here based on the title for this post - what's the point of trade union leadership?

Contributions very much welcome.

Cheers

Ian

No Pain No Gain? Shares v Pay as Economic Reward

Colleagues,

As a teacher of trade union/labour studies for over 15 years now I have never found a time that wasn't 'interesting'. Similarly, as a leftist, I always see the historic permutations in our modern times.

And so to the latest news that the British Airline Pilot's Association (BALPA) has agreed to a unique pay bargaining outcome which over the next five years will see pilots have share allocations instead of pay increases.

Some of you might find such an outcome deplorable. Please have a look at today's article in The Observer Will Hutton if that's the case: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/21/will-hutton-british-airways-pay

Although Hutton writes within the context of trade union 'partnership' in an era of decaying capitalism I personally don't think that we as trade unionists should write him off automatically.

Hutton's position is much broader and you can see this in his video following a Unions21 event earlier this year. In it he propounds a more fundamental review of, for example, the position of trade unions where the state takes a greater stake in financial services: http://www.unions21.org.uk/node/51

In addition, in the Observer piece, he cites the work of Daniel Kahneman (2002 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics) to support the increased recognition of the position of workers to validate their greater significance in pay determination. There is a great interview with Kahneman on YouTube where you can derive some sense of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4LdtAJaZPA

These events run alongside the momentous decision by the United Automotive Workers of America (UAW) to agree a controlling share in General Motors http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090529/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_uaw

For me much of these recent developments came together when earlier this month when I chaired a Unions21 event on the position of trade unions and cooperatives. Ultimately the suggestion at this event, and with what I have referred to here, suggests that we must discuss the controlling role of workers in relation to the organisation's they work for - a lot of this reminds me to some degree of what I read as a teenager in the work of Coates & Topham and workers' control.

The global economic depression is ironically accelerating the debate (and outcomes) around the greater degree of direct worker intervention in corporate financial activity.

Is this a bad thing?

Please let me know what you think.

As ever I hope that I stimulate alternative views. If I do please be constructive with your criticism.

Cheers

Ian

Long-Term Measures to Embed Migrant Workers

Colleagues,

Have just completed a challenging, lively weekend with the students (pictured) on the MA in International Labour & Trade Union Studies (ILTUS) at Ruskin College, Oxford. The MA was created by Sue Ledwith (pictured centre with blue top) and comprises a fantastic crop of students from across the globe.


One of the topics discussed over the weekend was the trade union response to migration. In particular students were providing feedback on their action research that combined migrant worker interviews. Within this area of work there is a need to consider the long-term measures that unions should adopt to ensure, for example, that these workers are encouraged into positions of leadership/activism.

This will feature in the work in some of the work I will be hopefully engaged in with the GFTU as part of their proposals for funding from the third round of the Union Modernisation Fund (UMF). The focus of UMF III is vulnerable workers and the need to ensure that, aside from activity to reduce/eradicate vulnerability/exploitation, trade unions should seek to work collaboratively with potentially marginalised workers to encourage greater self-organisation, assertion etc.

Naturally this isn't easy work and the UMF projects will operate within challening environments. This work is long-term and will require unions to maintain activity and prioritise this area of work long after UMF funds have gone.

How and where do you think this work needs to start and how do we maintain it?

Your thoughts, as ever, are welcome.

Cheers

Ian

Educate, Agitate, Organise!

Colleagues,

Given the time of year please excuse this naked marketing attempt to promote first class educational opportunities for trade unionists at two of the best trade union education institutions in the UK and internationally.

The Access to Higher Education Diploma at Northern College, Barnsley is aimed at those without a degree but who have significant experience of activism:

It aims to encourage activists to link what they do as activists with related subjects and so develop study and analytical skills.

You can get further information by going to:

http://www.northern.ac.uk/courses/courses.asp?dataID=tu&pageID=tudip

MA and BA options in International Labour & Trade Union Studies are available at Ruskin College, Oxford.

The BA blurb states:
You develop a depth of knowledge and complexity of analytical skills. You will be equiped with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed on the degree course and, where this is the desired outcome for you, provided with a suitable academic grounding if you wish to progress to Masters level of study.

The MA (on which I teach) states:
Labour movements worldwide are seen as being in crisis and are actively seeking ways of renewal. These issues are closely linked with globalisation and with fluidity among emergent transitional and developing states and countries. Ruskin’s place in the labour movement, together with academic staff researching, writing and teaching in the field, puts it in a good position to become a centre of debate and scholarship in this project. The Ruskin MA offers practitioners and scholars of such challenges the conceptual, analytical and critical framework for understanding and explaining labour movement change.

Further information is available at:
http://www.ruskin.ac.uk/courses/trade_union_studies/

Please note also that there is an open day for the MA/BA on Saturday 13th June. Contact me if you are interested.

I would be very grateful if you would forward the information above to anyone in the movement who wishes to develop greater knowledge of the challenges that face us and the methods to address them.

Cheers!

Ian

Trade Unions & Employee Ownership: Mutually Exclusive?

Colleagues,

On Friday I chaired the afternoon session of a lively, enjoyable event that had been organised jointly between Unions21, Ruskin College and Cooperatives UK, the umbrella body for the cooperative/employee-owned sector. The agenda for the event can be seen at: http://www.unions21.org.uk/node/80

Somewhat controversially the event was kicked off by Hazel Blears who, recent events apart, was welcome to the event as someone who had supported cooperative ideals not least as a method to support community cohesion and development. Pictured left also is Sue Ferns (Chair, Unions21) and Pauline Green (Chief Executive, Cooperatives UK).

The catalyst for the event was the need to stimulate some debate about a rejuvenation of activity between the cooperative and labour movements.

Although there is much mutually advantageous, collaborative work that can be done the event partly focused on the potentially contentious issue of the consideration of employee ownership/social enterprise in a situation of the externalising of public sector services.

Guy Collis, UNISON policy officer gave a largely oppositional view while Mick Taylor of Mutual Advantage outlined several case studies where employee ownership had safeguarded jobs, secured union recognition and improved terms and conditions of employment.

The event was a great opportunity to air and debate the issues surrounding this and will act as a springboard to further investigating the nature of joint work between the trade unions and the cooperative movement.

It will be interesting to have your views pro/anti about the concept of social enterprise as a route to safeguarding jobs.

Cheers

Ian

The Era of Anti-Politics

Colleagues,

Just back from a few days at Northern College and then today working with a fantastic group of activists from NAPO.

Whilst at Northern a colleague Phil Fitzpatrick drew my attention to the BNP's strategic (see image left) take on the mess that is parliamentary democracy in the UK.

As we rush head-long into the Euro elections on the 4th June the BNP has been offered the keen of marketing dream they could never of hoped for.

Positioning themselves as the anti-politics party of the UK it is likely that the BNP will poll well in two weeks time. We know of course that this bunch is far from anti-politics but how do we convince an electorate digusted with the greed of MPs that they don't all deserve a kicking via the Euro elections?

How goes the MP's expenses discussions in your own workplaces and do you sense a mood to vote for the BNP?

Cheers

Ian