for women at work Making life better

Learning at work case studies

This booklet has been produced to publicise the contribution that women trade unionists make to union learning and education. It features contrasting case studies from different sectors featuring reps, union learning reps and tutors, and celebrates the work they do which enables union learners to progress and make changes to their lives.

Many of the examples include the women’s own personal development too, like Sharon Goodwin from UCATT, who changed her own career and is now helping others to progress. While Trish Thomas from Philip and Tacey [Unite] supported her colleagues facing redundancy and pursued her own learning, leading to a new career with social services.

Much of the learning featured has also been possible through our partnership work with Train to Gain colleagues across the region. The work in Royal Mail with the CWU, with UCATT in Cornwall and with Philip and Tacey [Unite] in North Devon have all benefitted from Train to Gain funding. This has meant staff have been able to develop their literacy, numeracy

and ICT skills and obtain qualifications enabling them to progress and to find new employment, where under threat of redundancy.

I hope these stories will inspire you to get involved and to follow the shining example of the women featured.

Helen Cole unionlearn Regional Manager South West TUC

Foreword and contents

U-Net Spring 2009 2

Union Learning Reps and NVQs Summer 2009 4

Union Learning Reps and Redundancy Spring 2008 6

unionlearn and the Open University Winter 2009 7

Union Learning Centres Summer 2008 8

Union Learning Reps working with Manual Workers Summer 2008 9

Union Learning Surveys and the higher qualified Summer 2008 10

Stress Management Summer 2008 11

Well Being Summer 2009 12

Sign Language Summer 2009 14

unionlearn and Equality Reps Winter 2008 16

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Margaret Hill is one of 400 workers at the Post Office’s Gloucester depot. Her union, CWU, set up an on-site learning centre through U-Net, unionlearn’s learndirect on-line provider.

CWU learning rep Sean McGeough says “Colleges have historically struggled to engage with adult workers, so people in work were missing the chance to further their education. There are low levels of literacy and numeracy among 30 to 50 year-olds because many of them had a bad experience of school and they don’t want to go back.

“But trade unions are able to engage with them far more quickly and positively than the colleges could. We’re trusted and people are used to dealing with us. We could get to the people who would normally never go near an education provider and update their basic skills.

“With the recession, it’s important we provide people with a transferable skill. Most jobs require you to use a computer, so any form of IT qualification is going to be valuable.

“The flexibility offered by U-Net has made a real difference. It means people can log on at home, they can do the course at a time and venue that suits them. The advantage for us is instead of having to

scratch round to get ten students before we start a course, people can start straight away. So we’re now starting to engage with hard-to-reach groups, such as single parents and part-time workers, who have busy lives but can still find an hour or so a day to fit in their learning.

“People don’t feel embarrassed about doing a course. They can do it at home when nobody sees what they’re doing, or if they log on a computer in our learning centre, you can have six different people doing six different things so nobody takes any notice of what you’re doing. It’s a winner all round.”

Successful learner and CWU rep Margaret couldn’t agree more. “I’ve just finished an ITQ course through U-Net and the union,” she says. “I had never touched a computer before and I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ It was intimidating, especially when at fifty seven I never thought I’d use a computer. It was very daunting!

“But I’m glad I did it because it’s made a real difference, not just to me but to my union. I’m using my new skills on documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint. It’s made me feel competent and I can go to meetings and make presentations. It helps at home too because if my grandson gets stuck, he can come to me for help.”

U-Net | Spring 2009

I’m using my new skills on documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint. It’s made me feel competent and I can go to meetings and make presentations.

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I’m using my new skills on documents, spreadsheets and PowerPoint. It’s made me feel competent and I can go to meetings and make presentations.

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Union Learning Reps and NVQs | Summer 2009

Sharon Goodwin is union learning rep (ULR) for UCATT, having started out as a carpenter in the building trade. After taking a break to bring up her children, she tried something new.

“I ended up working in an office, which didn’t really agree with me because I’d worked on site before I even left school,” she says.

During her career break, the government introduced site safety cards to ensure only trained workers were allowed on site. Sharon needed a National Vocational Qualification to be allowed back on site and it was while she was working to achieve it that training manager Graham Harris asked her to work for him as an assessor.

Sharon now gets the best of both worlds, going on site to visit candidates and gather evidence as they work towards their NVQs whilst keeping warm in an office.

“If I hadn’t gone into training, I would have still been on site working on the tools every day. I’m getting older now and the winters are cold,” she grins. “It’s a progression up.”

Sharon continues to support union members who are struggling as a result of the economic downturn.

“Being a ULR allows me to talk to other people about the training we can provide,” she says. ”I can let them know what’s out there and what’s available for them. It helps their confidence, finding what they’d like to do and what we can provide for them.”

Being a ULR allows me to talk to other people about the training we can provide

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Being a ULR allows me to talk to other people about the training we can provide

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When all 16 staff at Philip & Tacey, an educational equipment supplier in Barnstaple, were told they were going to lose their jobs after a takeover, Unite union rep and stock-checker Trish Thomas said:

“Our first reaction was ‘Panic’! I was worried about myself but more worried about my colleagues – some of whom had worked there for 30 years plus – and how they’d manage to find new jobs.”

Time was of the essence because if Trish’s members wanted new jobs, they also needed new skills to compete in the current job market. But working with unionlearn and Unite, Trish was able to put an emergency plan in place. The local college hired an extra tutor to run an NVQ course in warehousing, distribution and storage.

“The course normally takes twelve months, so for everyone to complete it – and pass it – in just under

four months was an incredible achievement,” said North Devon College’s Clive Rowe.

The union also secured some money from unionlearn to run computer courses at the local learndirect provider, Barnstaple Pathfinder Centre. All the workers made redundant who sought new jobs have now got them, whether it’s working in accountancy, warehousing or in the ambulance service.

“I’m very grateful to my union and unionlearn,” says Trish. “I went on a course to brush up my English and Maths and now I’ve been accepted to train so I can work for social services.”

3 Union Learning Reps and Redundancy | Spring 2008

The course normally takes twelve months, so for everyone to complete it – and pass it – in just under four months was an incredible achievement

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When unionlearn reached agreement with the Open University for union learners to be offered a 10% discount on a range of OU courses, NAPO ULR Briony Marder instantly realised this was an opportunity for her members in the Devon and Cornwall Probation Area (DCPA).

One of the first people to take advantage of the offer and take her first steps into higher education was Lianna Copleston, a Case Administrator at St Catherine’s House in Plymouth. Lianna enrolled on the Open University’s Level One Social Science course.

“I enjoy working for DCPA and would like to add a qualification to the knowledge I have acquired as an Administrator,” said Lianna. “I want to progress my career further within the service and hope that by taking up this opportunity of studying with the OU that I can achieve this goal”.

Lianna hadn’t anticipated any publicity for her enrolment, but when we asked if we could publish it in our regional magazine Learning Works, she said, “It’s all quite exciting really. I will be quite happy in the knowledge that a bit of promotion could encourage others. It was really simple to arrange it all with the OU – they made it really easy”.

unionlearn and the Open University | Winter 2009

Briony Marder

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Unite’s Learning Centre at Wincanton plc in Swindon is giving 150 of the company’s employees – a quarter of the staff on site – the chance to learn new skills. They signed up for a range of courses, including basic IT skills and learning English as a foreign language.

The centre was launched in 2008 by South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove, who said, “I know from experience that people blossom in their education at different ages. Human potential to learn doesn’t stop when we leave school or college - often the best years of learning come later in life.

“People need a decent wage and a good work/ life balance, but often forgotten is the thirst for knowledge and the aspiration of self- improvement. Employers need to consider this and act, and unions are helping them to do so, which is why centres like this are so important.

“Libraries gave the working class power, but it’s hard to get to a library when you are working a 12-hour shift. Universal workplace learning is the next, important step in the story of the Trade Union movement, and one which I fully support.”

The learning centre was a personal triumph for Union Learning Rep Claire Sweter (above) of Unite the Union.

“I’d only been a ULR for 15 months,” said Claire. “I can’t believe we’ve gone from talking about it to actually doing it. I’m just really, really happy.”

Union Learning Centres | Summer 2008

Learning is changing their lives, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themselves or simply the ability to access communications from their employer

Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove at the Wincanton Learning Centre.

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Irene Docherty is the ICT Training and Development Officer for North Wiltshire District Council and a UNISON ULR.

She realised that most of the 100 or so manual workers in the Cleansing and Amenities Department felt cut off from the council’s communications because most of it came via email or the intranet. Determined to put this right, Irene set up courses so they could learn all about computers.

It took a long time to gain the acceptance of the staff based in the depot out on the outskirts of Chippenham, as they felt excluded and overlooked. Irene started with just two learners, but gradually the group grew in size and confidence, training weekly in the council’s IT room.

Irene wanted to get more people into learning and expand the range of courses. She knew that somewhere closer to their own workplace for them to learn would be ideal, so she decided to set up a

learning centre at the depot. She asked permission to refurbish an unused building on site, secured funding to purchase equipment and got some redundant furniture from other offices for the centre.

Irene taught two of the original group some project management skills and supported them in setting up the centre for themselves and their colleagues. Two of the learners went on to become Union Learning Reps themselves and arranged personal finance courses, attended by 34 workers.

“Learning is changing their lives, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themselves or simply the ability to access communications from their employer,” she said. “I believe that learning promotes understanding between people and I get a really good feeling when people succeed.”

Union Learning Reps working with Manual Workers | Summer 2008

Learning is changing their lives, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themselves or simply the ability to access communications from their employer

Irene receives a training award from actor Tony Robinson

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Nikki Simpson from Prospect

“You might think that because you’re very academic in your work, there’s no need for learning – but you’d be surprised,” says Nikki Simpson, a Project Development Worker for Prospect.

“We carried out learning surveys among our members at English Heritage in Swindon, asking them what they wanted to learn, and even though some of them are highly academic at work, there

are always life skills they want to acquire outside work. Some of

them aren’t very confident, or they want to be able to

organise their home life better, or they’ve got a house they’re renovating and they want to learn plastering. It’s so interesting what the survey showed.”

In response to the survey, Nikki organised a really

varied programme for a Learning At Work Day event funded by unionlearn. It was held at the Steam Museum in Swindon and attended by employees of both English Heritage and the National Trust. There were lectures on the environment and seaside resorts as well as workshops in Spanish, scrapbooking, massage techniques and origami.

“As a union we’re committed to the development of our members and to anything we can do to help them in terms of encouraging them back into learning, whether it’s work or non-work-related,” explains Nikki. “We wanted them to learn a little bit about each other’s work because their jobs are so closely linked and, with the workshops, we just wanted people to have fun and try something new.”

Union Learning Surveys and the higher qualified | Summer 2008

Learning is changing their lives, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themselves or simply the ability to access communications from their employer

L-R Karen Pardoe, Karen Jordan and Debra Edmonds from English Heritage in Swindon

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Prospect ULR Treena Bird may well be the mother of two small children, and have a demanding job, often covering the length and breadth of the country, but neither of these responsibilities has held her back in her determination to do something about tackling the high levels of stress experienced by members and colleagues working in Animal Health at DEfRA.

The legacy of the foot & mouth crisis, and the recent global pressures experienced by farmers and the dairy industries have taken their toll on frontline staff. Treena recognised that her role as a ULR presented the opportunity for Prospect to support members and employees working within the sector in understanding stress, and finding techniques and practical solutions to the problem.

With the help of unionlearn’s Learning At Work Day Fund, Treena arranged half-day “Stress Management

for Busy People” workshops for staff at DEfRA’s Animal Health offices in Exeter, Taunton and Truro. The workshops included a session of soothing relaxation and everyone was given a practical workbook to help them identify their own individual stressful situations, with suggestions for help in reducing the impact of stress.

“Staff found the sessions of real benefit both professionally and personally,” said Treena. “They also encouraged positive working relations with the employer and led to new recruits to the union.”

Stress Management | Summer 2008

Learning is changing their lives, whether it’s giving them more confidence in themselves or simply the ability to access communications from their employer

Treena Bird

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Looking After Yourself was the theme of Learning at Work Day events organised for South Gloucestershire teachers and support staff organised by Janita Hill of the NASUWT and Carolyn Dutton of ATL. The fun but practical sessions were a big hit with the groups and included gardening, healthy eating, walking to work and presentations from the local leisure centre.

“Swing your arms up,” instructed voice coach Beth Ford to a circle of twelve staff at Grange Community School in Warmley. “And then give a musical yawn as you come down – aaahhh.”

Everyone in the circle followed suit, adding a few giggles of their own to their “oohs” and “aahs” as they finished the vocal workout, one of several aimed at helping them relax and conserve their hardest-working tool – their voice.

“Sore throats and voice strain are a real problem for teachers,” explained Beth. “And women can suffer added problems because they generally speak at a higher pitch than men and that stretches the vocal folds more.”

In another session, T’ai Chi instructor Vicki Siggen took 17 staff through the graceful, controlled moves of the Chinese martial art. “Push down with the hands,” she said. “Let all the tensions and frustrations go down into the legs, the feet and into the ground. Let them go, you don’t need them.”

“People in schools always feel very stressed and under time pressure,” said organiser Janita. “We really wanted them to take two hours out for themselves and we’ve had such a positive response.”

Well Being | Summer 2009

People in schools always feel very stressed and under time pressure

Staff at Grange Community School.

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People in schools always feel very stressed and under time pressure

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Barbie Weaver touched her chin with her fingers and gestured outwards with a flat palm, almost as if she was blowing a kiss.

In fact, she was saying “thank you” to Tanvir Ahmed, regional training officer for the Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People for having delivered such a brilliant class. Barbie was among thirteen HM Revenue & Customs employees in Bristol who spent a day learning British Sign Language so they could communicate with deaf colleagues.

“It’s been very intensive but really good fun,” said Barbie, a sentiment echoed enthusiastically by Helen Chatfield sitting next to her.

“It’s the best class I’ve ever done – so interesting and expressive and so rewarding,” said Helen. “We definitely want to continue learning sign language. We’re going to ask Karen to give us regular sessions.”

It was the recent arrival of new colleague Karen Ashford, who is profoundly deaf, which prompted Barbie to suggest that the subject would be good for

Learning at Work Day – an idea that PCS Learning Rep Richard Scammell took up with gusto.

“In fact, we’ve got three deaf colleagues so we felt this was a really important initiative, not only to enable us to communicate with them better, but also to make them feel more welcome,” said Richard. “It’s been a great day – but there’s a lot to take in!”

But it was obvious that huge strides had been made in communicating with each other. Everyone learnt the basic principles of sign language, including numbers and the signs for the alphabet so they could spell their names. Tanvir also taught them common words, phrases and feelings. These included several useful for a work environment, such as “The boss wants to see you now – urgently”, accompanied by a mock look of fear, which made everyone laugh.

At the end the entire room broke into spontaneous clapping. “I can’t hear you,” signed Tanvir, who is profoundly deaf, and with a laugh they switched to the sign for applause, holding both hands up and waggling them from side to side. It was a lovely end to a great day.

Sign Language | Summer 2009

It’s the best class I’ve ever done – so interesting and expressive and so rewarding

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It’s the best class I’ve ever done – so interesting and expressive and so rewarding

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unionlearn and Equality Reps | Winter 2008

“Has the equality war been won?” was the question asked at SW TUC’s course for Equality Reps not long after the US had voted for its first black president.

“Oh no, no, no!” stresses tutor Carol Wright. “Yes, it’s marvellous that Barack Obama has been elected, but it doesn’t mean that we’re all equal now. Not by a long shot.”

The three-day course at City of Bristol College – a mix of activities, discussions and role plays – equips Equality Reps with all the ammunition they need to win equality in their workplaces.

“It’s particularly important now we’re getting the Single Equality Bill,” says Carole. “Although the idea behind the Bill is sensible [it aims to draw together the current patchwork of antidiscrimination laws], the concern is that with an overarching structure, some of the strands [age, disability, faith, gender, race and sexual orientation] might get lost in the mix.”

The big discussion point on the course was ‘positive action’, the name given to the range of measures employers can lawfully take to help people from under-represented groups compete for jobs on equal terms with other applicants.

“A lot of people seem to have a problem with positive action,” says Carol. “It’s the rep’s job to make the mainstream pool of white male workers understand

they’re not the victimised group all of a sudden, but they’ve actually had it their own way for so long. They’ve only ever had to compete with each other and they’ve never had to, in real terms, compete with women, black and ethnic minority workers.

Carol believes equality reps have a key role to play in this battle to end discrimination.

“There’s a perception that we’re in a free and equal society,” she says. “Employers have these lovely glossy policies on equality and diversity, and say they’re an equal opps employer but when you look at the day-to-day running of the businesses, you find the policies are just there to make them look good or comply with the law – they don’t know what’s in them.”

“Exactly so,” says course participant Katy Ladbrook, who works for a charity in Bristol and is the newly-elected Equality Officer for the NUJ’s Bristol Branch.

“Although there’s legislation that protects workers, getting it recognised and applied can be a problem. And a lot of people, especially journalists working as freelances, can feel vulnerable because they’re not working for an organisation with a policy, but we can be expected to be protected by the law too.”

That’s where equality reps come in. “Their job,” says tutor Carol, “is to make sure these policies are dusted off, relevant and working for their members.” Ph

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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.

For further information contact the South West TUC, Church House, Church Road, Filton, Bristol BS34 7BD.

Tel: 0117 947 0521 Email: unionlearnsouthwest@tuc.org.uk www.unionlearn.org.uk/southwest

Published by South West TUC, March 2010

Words by Tim Lezard and Susie Weldon Designed by Rumba www.rumbadesign.co.uk Printed on recycled paper containing 70% post consumer waste.