Courses examined

The starting point for our exploration of formal trade union courses must be with the largest labour learning provider in the UK, TUC-Unionlearn (See Appendix D). Most interviewees had either facilitated or participated in several TUC courses. These were the Globalisation, Gender and Poverty Reduction course, the on-line Diploma in Contemporary Trade Unionism and the on-line Going Global course. The thesis author has completed the Going Global course. With all courses in this section, some remain ongoing whilst others no longer run.

According to collected documentary data, the Globalisation, Gender and Poverty Reduction course was designed with a target audience of more experienced individuals, namely trade union reps, organisers, officials and tutors in order to build union capacity amongst this group. The course is not currently run but remains available. Course aims included an exploration of the uneven effects that globalisation has had upon the different genders;

exploration of the union approach to improving working conditions for women; and planning a workplace or local union based activity. More detailed course content involved examining the role of unions in achieving the MDGs and advancing trade justice, alongside improved understanding of the concepts of globalisation and international development. The two day course was not solely for women participants. It was delivered at Congress House, London. The other TUC course of interest to this research is the on-line Diploma in Contemporary Trade Unionism, expressing amongst others the learning aims of enhancing participant understandings of trade union values, in addition to improving personal confidence within students. This course remains available to learners. As the title suggests, this course is aimed at union activists and officers wanting to study at a somewhat higher level and offering students a pathway into professional union posts and higher educational opportunities. Whilst the course content is divided into the four sections of the historical development of unions in the UK, the current position of unions, the future of unions and the final module devoted to study skills and research, it is the ‘trade unions and globalisation’ element that is of particular relevance to this thesis. This section is sub-divided into looking at globalisation’s relevance to unions in the private sector and public sector. The course is run at intervals, online, and spread over three terms, amounting to thirty-six weeks in total. The final TUC provided course is the Going Global, again delivered via the internet and trailed as an introductory entry into exploring key global issues as international development, globalisation, poverty, trade justice and migration, with an emphasis on the part played by working people within these areas. Two learning outcomes directly relevant to this thesis are those of studying solidarity and building activism amongst workers worldwide. This course is described in this research project from the perspective and experience of the author as a participant. The on-line course continues to be offered to TUC affiliated union members.

The NUT course studied within this research is entitled International Development: it’s union work and includes such broad course aims as raising

awareness of international development issues, working with NUT partners overseas and exploring the part that teachers can play in reducing poverty worldwide. The course is still available, if demand requires. Within these aims more specific course content relates to discussing the difference between globalisation and international development, exploring international teacher solidarity in practical ways, and defining the global civil society agents affiliated with the NUT, Amnesty International being one example. The work of the NUT on the global stage also informs course content, including issues such as the lobbying of governments in defence of the rights of trade unions. Active involvement and campaigning are key strands of the course and these involve encouraging individual participants to utilise ‘planning forms’ and ‘to do lists’ for use on return to the workplace. Engaging colleagues locally also forms an integral element of the course. When provided, this is a two day residential weekend course.

As the NUT course is located firmly within the wider context of primary and secondary education, so the Working Lives Research Institute certificated course is located firmly within a higher education context. Titled as a Certificate of Professional Development in Union Learning it offers, as the name suggests, an opportunity for workers involved in supporting adult learners to develop their understanding of the place of trade union, labour and lifelong learning within a fast changing and globalised world. This course no longer runs at the WLRI in London, but is being offered elsewhere. With a view to empowering students by offering a learning route into further higher education, its aims are several fold. They include an exploration of the contemporary UK skills agenda; an exploration of the wider issues behind government learning and skills policy; and the aim of examining how trade union and labour learning sits within the wider context of worker organisation and union renewal. The four modules comprising the course involve looking at the historic struggle for labour educational advancement, ways of learning for adults, labour organising, and of pertinence to this thesis, globalisation and its impact upon labour and trade union educational provision. It is this forth module that is the primary area of interest for this thesis. The course is taught one day per month over a two year period.

At degree level we explore the Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Labour and Trade Union Studies offered by the Centre for Labour and Trade Union Studies, London Metropolitan University; and the Ruskin College Master of Arts (MA) in International Labour and Trade Union Studies. Both courses continue to run. The BA contains several modules that deal with international issues. These are structured around the themes of political economy, which begins from a theoretical perspective that examines globalisation and the spread of neo-liberalism around the world. Secondly the course contains a module which looks at the European Union and the countries within the European Union. Then the course moves onto comparative labour and trade union studies, which offers a world-wide perspective around labour issues. One of the primary aims of the degree is to encourage students away from an immediate focus on workplaces and unions and begin to think about the context in which workers and unions operate, which is one of internationalism, both theoretically and practically.

The Ruskin College Masters in International Labour and Trade Union Studies places an emphasis on the need for global labour movement renewal in the face of crisis resulting from aspects of globalisation. Through conceptual, critical and analytical study the MA explores the roles and identities of workers, union democracy and leadership, and forms of member inclusivity as some of the key factors involved in global labour renewal. Cross cultural comparisons of union and labour practice are available as the course adopts an international perspective.

The two remaining educational programmes studied within this research differ somewhat from the previous in that they contained the opportunity for participants to visit an overseas country, all of which were located in the Majority World. The first of these was the General Federation of Trade Unions’ (GFTU) International Development Champions programme that was comprised of both a three day taught component and for some of the students an overseas visit to either Egypt or South Africa. This was a one-off event. One of the prime objectives of the programme was to offer grassroots

participants the opportunity to experience at first hand the conditions faced by fellow workers in another country and to personally forge solidaristic links with trade unions in the country visited. The second aim of the programme was to form a group of ‘champions’ who on completion of the taught component and possibly the overseas visit would be in a position to negotiate with UK employers on supply chain issues.

The final programme studied that contains an overseas visit, in this case to Cuba, is Napo’s The Next Generation Programme (TNG). The programme continues to run. The aims of this programme are to develop a future generation of activists, assist activists in developing their skills, undertake a fact finding mission to another country, promote international solidarity, and to have some fun! Seven of the Napo members on the programme undertook the Cuba visit and it is these individuals and their travel experiences that became the primary focus for this research.