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