Unions North Issue 20 : July 2009

TUCJU903 UN EMAG 20 29/6/09 16:50 Page 1

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C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

NTUC AnnualConferenceA keen focus for the 2009Annual Regional Conference

Learning atWork Day ’09Unionlearn facilitates over 40workplace events in the region

Fighting for theright to workCampaign to change the law thatprevents Asylum Seekers working

Eight years ofthe LfAF fundStill the driving force in developingunion led workplace learning

unionsnorth

Issue : 20

July 2009

The Magazine of the Northern TUC


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The 2009 Northern TUC Annual RegionalConference enjoyed a powerful start to itsdebates as Nicky Ramanandi from Unisonkicked off the conference with a powerfulopening speech welcoming the success inthe region of keeping the BNP out.

The work of trade unions, anti-racism groupsand community organisations has provedhighly effective in keeping the challenge ofthe far right at bay.

A number of speakers joined the debate,pressing the urgency in continuing to fightagainst the racism and divisiveness of thesefar right parties.

Nicky went on to receive the “Terry RogersWorkplace Representative of the Year Award”from Frances O’Grady for the leadershipshown in taking on the BNP in Newcastle andacross the region.

In her address to conference Francescongratulated trade unions in the region for

the excellent leadership, organisation andcommitment they had shown in taking on theBNP, in challenging the far right and inshattering the myths and lies perpetrated bytheir ilk. This work formed a major contributionto a central trade union role in tacklinginequality at work and in our communities.

Highlights of Frances O’Grady’s speechcan be viewed at: www.recogitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6506

Part of the anti-racism debate included awelcome for the bold and innovative tradeunion support for the Anne Frank EducationTrust permanent exhibition based in CountyDurham. The exhibition, primarily to be usedin schools in the county, was on full displaythroughout the conference and has been usedacross the Northern Region to supporteducation to combat far right views over thelonger term.

Gender equality was also a major focus fordebate with Paulene Robson presenting a

moving contribution on the case for tradeunions tackling domestic violence, somethingthat affects at least a quarter of women andhas long-term impacts upon women and theirfamilies, as well as their employment and thewider economic community. Clare Williamshighlighted the lack of representation ofwomen across public life and challenged theTUC to support women in developing theknowledge, skills and confidence to addressthis inequality.

There was, inevitably, much to discuss onthe economy. While unemployment levelscontinue to increase in the region with workerscontinuing to feel vulnerable one of thecornerstones of the debate was the need forall unions in the region to support the effortsto keep Corus working. In moving anEmergency Motion Community highlightedthe fact that as many as 10,000 jobs couldbe affected if the plant was to close, a potentialdisaster for Teesside.

In other aspects of the economy debate GMB

A keen focus for the2009 Northern TUC

Annual RegionalConference

Issue 20 unionsnorth

03

Equality and the economy


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04

unionsnorth Issue 20

emphasised, now more than ever, the needfor all aspects of UK Defence contracting tobe located in the UK to support a fragile anddesperate manufacturing base. In Energy,both Unite and GMB pointed to significantopportunities in the medium term; whetherthat be new nuclear build in Hartlepool, CarbonCapture and Storage Clean Coal technologyin Teesside, Electric Car production inSunderland or, perhaps the most immediateopportunity, wind power manufacturing onthe Tyne.

These economic opportunities wereemphasised by Nick Brown in his address toConference as North East Regional Minister.Nick addressed the issue of MPs’ expenseshead-on, stating that individuals have let theParliamentary Party, as well as theirconstituents down, and needed to be dealtwith properly, formally and quickly, to restoreconfidence in the political system. Ahead ofthe public services Nick emphasised theoverwhelming case for trying to find a bettersolution for the Post Office than privatisation– a statement warmly welcomed byconference delegates.

Highlights from Nick’s speech can befound at: www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6504

Nick was pleased to present the NorthernTUC Health and Safety Rep of the Year awardto Colin Meek from UCATT, for his excellentand continuing efforts in health and safety,made even more difficult due to restructuringand fragmentation of the company he worksfor with Sunderland City Council.

The Communications Workers Union receivedunanimous support in the campaign tomaintain the Post Office wholly in the PublicSector.

Conference delegates recognised that rightacross the public sector there will becontinuous and increasing pressure on thepublic sector and public services. It is ourjob as trade unionists to speak up for publicservices, to articulate the case for theseservices in the public sector and to defendworkers under threat from the knock-on effectsof the economic downturn.

Conference was pleased to welcomeunionlearn’s national director, Liz Smith, to


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address the region. Liz recognised andappreciated the massive achievement of tradeunions in the region in enabling thousands ofworkers to gain learning and skillsopportunities. Quite simply, without unionsupport, these workers would not be gainingany learning and development or progression.

Liz, due to retire in July, was presented witha small commemoration of her visit by chair,Gill Hale.

Now National Executive Director of theLearning and Skills Council, Chris Roberts,also praised the success of trade unions inthe region and emphasised the need forunionlearn to keep an eye on the changingpolicies and priorities within the skillsinfrastructure nationally, regionally and locally.

Highlights from Liz’ and Chris’ speechescan be found at: www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6507and also at: www.recognitionpr.co.uk/journalistarea-story.asp?id=6508

Trade Union engagement in the Northern TUCremains high and we are pleased to welcometwelve new faces onto the ExecutiveCommittee this year, including representationfor the first time on this body from theChartered Society of Physiotherapists. Dueto industrial duties we will no longer see AlanMcGuckin from Unite on the EC.

A full list of the Executive Committee, includingchairs of the various working groups and forais shown to the right.

Kevin Rowan : Regional Secretary


05

The Executive Committee

CarlaChris

RayJillIainJohn

PaulJoSamanthaAndyJimTomJulieMikeMichelleJohn

Kathy

DaveKatMichaelElaineSimonMaryStanIanKevinMelanieBarneyCarolynMartin

JohnJoyce

NormanElizabethClare

KennyGillDavey

FaziaPaulene

Chair, Cumbria Forum

Chair, Young Members Network

Chair, Health & Safety Forum

Chair, Disability Forum

TUCJCC

Finance Officer

Regional Education OfficerRegional Secretary

Unionlearn Regional ManagerRegional Policy Officer

Chair, Education Learning &Skills ForumChair, Pensions Advisory GroupUnion Development Co-ordinatorChair, Race Advisory GroupWomen’s GroupChair, International ForumChair, Northern TUCVice Chair, Northern TUC ChairRegional Policy Forum

ATLCleveland CountyAssociationCommunityCSPCSPWhitehaven TradesCouncilCWUCWUFBUFBUGMBGMBGMBNASUWTNASUWTNorthumberland CountyAssociationNorthumberland CountyAssociationNUMNUMNUTNUTPCSPCSRMTTUCTUCTUCTUCTUCTyne and Wear CountyAssociationUCATTUCU

UCUTUCUNISON

UNISONUNISONUNITE

UNITEUNITE

PowellWilliamson

ArdronTaylorLoughranKane

ClaysLawtonRyeNobleMarshallBrennanElliottJohnsonFishMcCormack

Taylor

GuyDochertyCrillyKayElliottFergusonHerschelWestRowanLowdenMcGillClaytonLevy

ScottMcAndrew

JemisonKilloranWilliams

BellHaleHall

HussainRobson

First Name EC PositionOrganisation Surname

...and the Conference resolutionsA copy of all of the resolutions agreed at the Annual RegionalConference can be found at: www.tuc.org.uk/northern


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06

Recognising thededication and

effort, above andbeyond, of our Reps


Northern TUC WorkplaceRepresentative of the Year

Nicky Ramanandi : Unison, Newcastle CityBranchPresented by Frances O’Grady,TUC Deputy General Secretary

In the last couple of years Nicky has

developed into a really strong

campaigner and trade union activist.

As well as coping with a pretty

challenging trade union role in the City

Council in a difficult time, Nicky has

organised, led and managed a hugely

effective role in confronting and

challenging the BNP in Newcastle, with

great success.

Without this kind of leadership and

effort, it is the case that we would today

be enduring BNP councillors in

Newcastle.

Nicky’s efforts in this area have been

magnificent. In addition, she is also

very closely involved in building wider

knowledge and awareness of fascism

and racism and building our

campaigning resource against it. The

Holocaust Memorial Day work Nicky

and others were involved in were both

motivating and inspiring.

Nicky also represents the TUC on the

City for Peace steering group in

Newcastle.

Health and Safety Representativeof the Year

Alan Meek : UCATTPresented by Nick Brown MP,Minister for the North

Alan’s nomination for the health and

safety award is well made within his

nomination form with many references

to his input health and safety wise but

it should be noted that his work on

health and safety has also intertwined

with his leading role within the trade

union movement – as convenor for

what was Sunderland Council, he was

to the forefront of the TUPE transfers

involving the move to Sunderland

Housing and then again in the

rebranding to Gentoo as his employer

is now called.

It would have been so easy for Alan to

take a step back, concentrating on

difficult issues of moving from the

public to the private sector, and left

‘other’ matters such as health and

safety to be looked after by others, but

that is not his way.

His responsibilities are all taken equally

seriously and met with consistent good

quality trade union activity - that is why

it is good that we all can give Alan the

recognition with the role he plays on

the health and safety front.

Union Learning Representativeof the Year

Pat McCourt : UnitePresented by Liz Smith, Director of unionlearn(pictured with Davey Hall, Unite, RegionalSecretary)

Pat has worked for Sedgefield Borough

Council (transferred to Mears Group)

for 30 years. Steeped in trade union

tradition and activity Pat is a Unite

Union Learning Rep, Shop Steward and

Chair of the Unite Regional Council. He

is also a member of the National

Political Committee.

As a very active ULR for a number of

years Pat manages the Learning for All

Funded ‘Aspire’ project at Mears Group

Sedgefield following the transfer from

Sedgefield Borough Council. The

project was initially set up during

February 2008 and has been funded

from July that year and through to March

2010.

Learning and organising are closely

linked and in the past nine months 75

new members have been recruited.

Pat has worked extremely hard with his

colleagues to develop a successful

project, establish a learning centre and

to engage the employer.

Northern TUC AnnualConference Awards


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The TUC Library Collections are amajor research resource for the studyof all aspects of trade unions, lifelonglearning and people at work.

Established in 1922 as a reference

resource for the TUC and affiliated

unions, the Library moved to its new

home, the Metropolitan University in

London, in 1996. It holds books,

pamphlets, periodicals and other

material collected from the second half

of the 19th century to the current day

and includes trade union and official

publications and material from the

various campaigns and policy areas in

which the TUC has been involved.

The emphasis is on Britain, but many

other countries are represented,

especially Europe and the

Commonwealth.

The TUC continues to deposit

material on a regular basis and current

trade union publications, newspapers,

and other recent materials are collected.

The TUC Library Collections also house

a number of archival

collections, which include the

records of the Workers’

Educational Association and

the Labour Research

Department.

Over the last few years, the

Library has widened access

to its Collections by creating

The Union Makes UsStrong: TUC History Onlineat... www.unionhistory.info

This award winning

website displays an online

history of the British trade

union movement using

thousands of digitised

photographs, posters

and documents from the

Collections. Included is

one of the

Library’s treasures, the manuscript of

‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’

by Robert Tressell.

Linked websites include The Workers’War: Home Front Recalled, with

images, documents and oral testimony

from those who worked on the Home

Front during the Second World War and

Winning Equal Pay: the Value ofWomen’s Work with a video archive of

interviews with women involved in

important equal pay cases plus

digitised photos, posters and

documents from the 19th century to

today.

The library is open to visitors Monday

to Friday, 9.15 - 16.45.

For further details, contact theLibrarian, Chris Coates at TUC LibraryCollections, Holloway Road LearningCentre, London MetropolitanUniversity, 236-250 Holloway Road,London N7 6PP. Tel: 020 7133 2260or email: [email protected] orcheck our website:www.londonmet.ac.uk/tuc

A major researchresource for all

aspects of trade unionactivity throughout

the generations


07

TUC library collections


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The week commencing 11 May saw

seven separate Adult Learner events

covering seven separate areas of the

Council, from their ICT department, to

a local drop in Health Centre. By the

last day, Friday, the project had

engaged with well over 300 council

employees, many of whom had

completed taster sessions from Indian

Head Massage to Tai-Chi or had lifelong

learning briefing sessions delivered by

the Project lead, Howard Fawcett and

his fellow ULRs.

Support from the Council has been

excellent; from issuing a job circular

advertising the position of new ULRs

for the project, to advertising time-off

allowed to attend events to all staff in

every department. The ULR advert

provided expressions of interest from

16 potential ULRs from all different

areas, including a senior manager,

operations staff and even a Local

Councillor who has made a firm

commitment to train at the next

available opportunity. The Council also

actively promotes the Health and

Wellbeing agenda and has given over

a number of rooms for use by the

project. Howard came up with the idea

of naming these HELP rooms-Health

Education and Learning Place. With this

in mind Health and Wellbeing checks

were available at a number of the

events with one individual making an

initial enquiry about a health matter

and subsequently being referred to the

councils own Occupational Health

Department.

As part of the promotional side of the

week Howard decided to contact local

businesses to see if they would be

prepared to donate prizes for the week.

Howard discovered he had a natural

talent in this area, obtaining dozens of

high quality and expensive prizes

ranging from a round of golf at a local

club to family passes to Beamish

Museum and Washington Wildfowl. The

local Health and Racquet club gave day

passes to well over 100 attendees of

the week!

Two of the ULRs, Eddie Campbell and

John Tate also discovered their hidden

talents as they prepared power point

presentations for the week (including

an excellent presentation for the launch

event). Neither had used this media

before but with a bit of time and effort

did a great job.

The launch itself was the final icing on

the cake, making a fitting end to a

highly productive week. Felicity

Mendelson, MBE spoke about the

successes and benefits her own project

had brought to Newcastle Council and

Barney McGill delivered the opening

address.

This year will see the first full year of

the project and early signs are excellent,

with proposed IT access points being

opened and managed by Howard in

partnership with the Council. A big

thank you has to be given to everyone

who played a part.

09unionsnorth issue 20

Busy week uncovershidden talents

Learning Styles - City of Sunderland Council

Adult Learners Week : 9-15 May 2009

Weeks of military styleplanning came together forthe Learning Styles Projectbased within the City ofSunderland Council - notonly for Adult Learnersweek but also the project’sofficial launch which tookplace the same week.


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This year, unionlearn helped in excess

of 40 workplaces throughout the North

East and Cumbria to hold workplace

learning events as part of Adult Learners

Week and more specifically, Learning

at Work Day on Thursday 14 May.

In the UK last year thousands of

organisations took part; large

corporations, SMEs, public sector

organisations and government

department – including 35 workplaces

across the northern region who were

allocated funding through unionlearn’s

Union Learning Fund. With almost

4000 learners in the region engaging

in some form of learning this was proof

positive LAWD is a fantastic opportunity

for partnership working – and delivery.

Due to this fantastic success unionlearn

committed to over £30,000 of funding

in the northern region alone being

made available to help unions to

facilitate and run events again this year.

Once again demand outstripped

supply.

This year there were 41 projects running

from Berwick to Carlisle to Teesside and

Kendal. Some of the employers working

in partnership with their unions on

LAWD were: Warburtons, Boots,

Newcastle City Council, BT, NPower,

Holme House and Acklington prisons,

Department of Work and Pensions and

DHL/Argos – to name but a few.

The initiatives covered a broad

spectrum of learning, from sessions on

digital photography, salsa dancing or

sign language and taster courses on

subjects from literacy and numeracy

through to Foundation Degrees, to

learning Open Days for staff to visit

throughout the day; complete with

learning related competitions and

introductory sessions on holistic

therapies like Indian Head massage

and Reflexology.

10 unionsnorth issue 20

Learning at Work Day : 14 May 2009

A work dayto remember

LAWD - Events across the region

“Learning at Work Day is aprime opportunity for unionsand employers to worktogether to really promotethe ethos of lifelong learningand upskilling the region’sworkforce. Being able tooffer a substantial resource,as well as support from ourregional unionlearn team -enables those taking partto capitalise on the day andreally make it count.

“It is more important thanever that workplaces andindividuals maintain anddevelop their skills levelsin order to adapt and thrivein the current economiccircumstances.”

Barney McGillUnionlearn Regional Manager

Some of this year’s Learning at Work Day activities


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11unionsnorth issue 20


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12 unionsnorth issue 20

Adult Learners Week : 9-15 May 2009

Learning isTetley’s cup of tea!

Tetley GB - Eaglescliffe and Newton Aycliffe

The Union Learning Representatives at

Tetley organised numerous events for

Tetley employees throughout the week

including visits from BBC Raw,

Middlesbrough College and the Open

University, who brought along a wide

range of information, from organising

your bank account and coping with

household finances, to enroling on a

course for Digital Photography.

A key event of the week was a visit from

the Skills for Life bus, which parked at

the Tetley factory and gave employees

the opportunity to go on-board and

find out more about improving their

literacy and numeracy skills.

Although the event was organised by

the factory Trade Union representatives,

led by Elaine Preston, it was very

strongly supported and actively

encouraged by the Tetley management

team. This was strongly illustrated by

the signing of the Skills Pledge.

As part of national AdultLearners Week, there wasa lot of activity at theTetley sites at Eaglescliffeand Newton Aycliffe overthe week.

“Adult Learners Week atTetley has been fantastic,the Union Learning Repshave done an amazing joband the management teamhave been very supportive,it shows what can beachieved when Unions andEmployers work together.”

Dan Gow : GMB Learning Organiser

“It is a pleasure to work withour partners from Unite and GMBto increase the emphasis onlearning and skills for our staff.This initiative perfectlycompliments the work that Tetleyare doing to offer NVQ Levels 2& 3 training to all of ouremployees.”Steve Eastham

Tetley UK Operations Director

“The Company have alongstanding strong relationshipand tradition of involvement withthe Trade Unions and I amextremely pleased that theLearning for All project has beenjointly coordinated which willprovide for new educationopportunities for the workforce. Inmy belief it will ultimatelytranslate into real advantages,and benefit the company as awhole in competitive terms.”Davey Hall : Unite Regional Secretary

“The GMB Union is delighted tobe involved, along withunionlearn, in bringing anopportunity for employees toenhance their skills within theworkplace and bring added valueto the employer in this process.”Tommy Brennan : GMB Regional Secretary

“It is a pleasure to visit anexcellent company with excellentTrade Union organisation. I amdelighted to see how thecompany and the Unions worktogether to achieve a valuedrelationship of staff development,learning and developing furtherskills in a wide variety of areas.It is fantastic to see a Unionorganisation and a companyworking hand in hand for thebenefit of employees.”Dari Taylor : Stockton South MP


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When a Prison Officer at HMP Acklingtonapproached Prison Officers AssociationULR, Don Head, about the possibility oflearning the bagpipes he was scepticalabout his ability to provide a tutor. However,as anyone who knows Don will testify, heis rarely beaten.

Enquiries revealed a former ex army juniorchampion piper, Steve Christie, was alreadyworking within the prison. Steve said he wouldbe willing to tutor anyone who wanted to learnthe pipes and eventually seven employeesindicated that they were willing to give it ago.

With funding made available through theunionlearn Learning for All Fund to purchase

practice chanters the first sessions werearranged in December 2007 at the POALearning Centre, Acklington.

Today the original seven, plus Don, are stilllearning and have progressed from basicscales through grace notes to embellishmentsand one member, Rob Wood, has even joinedthe Morpeth Pipe Band.

POA ULR Don said: “It may seem strangethat a learning centre primarily concernedwith offering Skills for Life and computercourses should be organising music lessonsbut the publicity these courses have generatedhave already started to reap benefits amongststaff and the wider community.

“As a result, 31 prison staff have enrolled ona introduction to computers course and over30 staff from Hirst High School havecompleted an Equality and Diversity courseoffered in the Learning Centre.”

Staff at the centre are confident that a numberof the seven (plus Don) will soon be able togive their first public performance. So watchthis space!

The LfAF isn’t simplyabout teaching

workers literacy,numeracy andcomputer skills


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The inside story on the bagpipes


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14

The LfAF enters its8th year and is

going from strengthto strength


The unionlearn with the Northern TUCLearning for All programme offers a unique,high quality, strategic and operationalsupport service to trade unions wishing torun workplace learning projects to generateand increase learner demand.

This is achieved through providing a resourceto cover the cost of Union LearningRepresentative activity (adding value to local‘facility-time’ agreements) in workplacesacross the North East. The aim of the Learningfor All Fund is to increase the number of adultsengaging in learning and training in the regionthrough specific focused ULR activity. TheFund helps Union Learning Representativesto play a more effective and influential role inraising the demand for learning, particularlyamongst hard to reach potential learners.

Acquiring such funding may also act as acatalyst to developing learning partnershipswith employers and providers, ensuring ajoined-up approach to engaging adults inlearning, training, skills acquisition andprogression.

The Fund, now in its eighth year, hasdemonstrated year on year improvement,resulting in significant numbers of adults inthe region participating in learning and skillsdevelopment. The model has proved highlysuccessful and is based on the uniquerelationship which the TUC enjoys with trade

unions, and supports and enhances the workof highly motivated ULRs in promoting andenabling learning in workplaces throughoutthe region.

Since its launch in April 2002, the LfAF hasallocated nearly £4m to 84 projects acrossthe North East, leading to more than 1,000new ULRs trained, over 75 workplace learningcentres established, and 25,000 adultsparticipating in learning, 5,000 of whom wereable to achieve a skills for life qualification.

The Panel approved 34 applications this year.The overall figure allocated to workplaceprojects was £683,000. The funding allocatedis mainly for secondment time for the ULRsto broker learning and some money towardsessential resources.

21 of the projects are initiatives previously inreceipt of LfA funding and continued from the1st of April. 14 are classed as new projectsand in order to accommodate the high volumeof applications a start date of the 1st Maywas agreed.

In terms of sectoral and regional split for the2009/2010 funded projects, 21 projects arefocused on public sector employees, and 14on private sector employees. This year seesthe development of 4 workplace projectsacross two new sectors, food and drink andthe energy sector.

The table on the right shows the total numberof projects supported to date through the ESFfunded programme.

With this new round of ESF funding throughNE LSC Co-Financing, we are in a strongposition to continue to deliver support fortrade unions to help adults enter into learning.We work very closely with the North EastLearning and Skills Council and with theRegional Development Agency, One NorthEast, to ensure that activity carried out throughthe Fund helps to make a major contributiontowards meeting the skills development needsof the region, meeting regional economic andsocial priorities, as well as rise to thechallenges set out by Lord Leitch in his reviewfor world class skills.

LfAF update 2009-2010

NO

RTH

E RN

TUC LEARNINGFO

RA

LL


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Information Advice and GuidanceIt is a unionlearn objective that qualityassured IAG is embedded in alllearning projects, through offeringtraining for ULRs and developing anIAG and ULR network to shareexperience and expertise. The LfAFwill support a limited number of ULRsto acquire NVQ Level 3 or 4 in IAG anda number of projects to achieve matrixstandard.

Offering high quality Information,Advice and Guidance (IAG) to potentiallearners is key to successful andsustainable learning projects.

In February, 51 ULRs commenced theirlearning journey towards gaining a nationallyrecognised IAG qualification, with 37 of the51 opting for the higher level 4 qualification.

Unionlearn is pleased to inform unions thatthere are further places for any unionlearning representatives who wish to signup for the NVQ in Information, Advice andGuidance course, successful completion ofthis will lead to a formally recognisedqualification, which can be used and appliedin your day-to-day union and workplacepositions.

If you wish to apply for a place on the coursewhich is set to run for approximately 9 months,an enrolment day will be held at the NorthernTUC regional office, Commercial Union House,39 Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE16QE on the 8th July 2009. The enrolmentswill be split into two sessions a morning andafternoon session. If you are interested in thequalification and the 8th July’s enrolment dayis unsuitable we can arrange individualenrolments with the training provider.

For further information please contact PatWinter, unionlearn project worker leadingon the IAG programme, on: 0191 232 3175or e-mail: [email protected]


15

University of TeessideStockton Riverside College

Tees Valley UCUEducation

Employer Area UnionSector

Erimus HousingMears Group plcSouth Tyneside Homes

Tees ValleyTees ValleyTees Valley

USDAWUNITEGMB

Social Housing andHousing Maintenance

BarclaysBarclaycard

Tyne and WearTyne and Wear

UNITEUNITE

Banking and Business

AstrumElectrolux

DurhamDurham

UNITEUNITE

Manufacturing

Northumberland County CouncilNewcastle City CouncilCity of Sunderland CouncilDerwentside District CouncilDarlington Borough CouncilMiddlesbrough CouncilDurham County CouncilDurham County Unitary AuthoritySouth Tyneside CouncilGateshead Council

NorthumberlandTyne and WearTyne and WearDurhamTees ValleyTees ValleyDurhamDurhamTyne and WearTyne and Wear

GMBUNISONUNISONGMBUNISONUNISONUNISONGMBGMBUNISON

Local Authority

Royal Mail Tees Valley CWUTransport Storage andCommunication

BAE Land SystemsHMP Frankland PrisonDWP Tyneview ParkDWP Benton Park ViewDurham Passport ServiceHMRC Sunderland Contact CentreHMP AcklingtonHMP Holme House PrisonHMRC Waterview ParkHMRC Contact Centre - Newcastle

Tyne and WearDurhamTyne and WearTyne and WearDurhamTyne and WearNorthumberlandTees ValleyTyne and WearRegionwide

GMBPOAPCSPCSPCSPCSPOAPOAPCSPCS

Public Administration

Northgate HospitalTees Esk and Wear Valley NHS TrustTristar Homes LtdGateshead Health NHS Foundation

NorthumberlandTees ValleyTees ValleyTyne and Wear

UNISONGMBUNISONUNISON

Health andSocial Work

North East checkout Learning-COOPCheck out Learning - SouthCOOP

Northumberland

Tees Valley

USDAW

USDAW

Retail

Northumberland Fire and Rescue Northumberland FBUEmergency Service

GENTOO Tyne and Wear UNITEPeople PropertyBusiness

N Power Tees Valley GMBEnergy Sector

WarburtonsTetley GBKP Foods

RegionwideTees ValleyTees Valley

BFAWUGMBGMB

Food and Drink

Projects supported in2009 - 2010 through theESF funded programme


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16

Working to restore theright to work forAsylum Seekers

in the region


As many people will now be aware, theNorthern TUC have been working with theRegional Refugee Forum NE (RRF) as partof the national TUC/Refugee Councilcampaign to restore the right to work forAsylum Seekers in the UK.

Asylum Seekers have been denied the rightto work while awaiting decisions on theirstatus since 2002, when the law was changed.One of the most damaging aspects of thispolicy, and one of the main reasons why thetrade unions are campaigning for a changein the law, is the long term impact that thisperiod of enforced inactivity has on theindividuals concerned.

Asylum seekers come to this country fleeingpersecution and violence. An asylum seekerbecomes a refugee once they have beengranted leave to stay. This can take years andis often accompanied by a huge sense ofrelief. However, their problems are not overthere. Thousands of refugees, having wonthe right to stay, find it impossible to pick uptheir working lives, having either lost the skillsthey had in their home country or having beenunable to transfer their skills or qualifications.As a consequence, many refugees end up inlow-wage, low skill and temporaryoccupations that do not use their skills. Inthose jobs, it is often very difficult to accesstraining and development, so they are trapped.

Through a new photographic exhibition, RRFMember, Panganai Svotwa has beendocumenting the situation of refugees andmigrant workers caught in this trap. Thephotographs make up an exhibition called the‘Skilled Project’, which was recently displayedat the Northern TUC Annual Conference. Theexhibition tells the stories of those, such asMelusi from Zimbabwe (pictured left), whohave suffered at the hands of this policy bycomparing their present employment withtheir qualifications and jobs in their homecountry. As Panganai says himself:

The untappedworkforce


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Nasrin (pictured right), meanwhile, came overas a skilled migrant worker, a pharmacist inher native Iran, but necessity forced her toabandon this career:

“I asked some pharmacies if I could work forthem voluntarily, just to keep in touch and getsome experience and references in the UK,but no one accepted me. I couldn’t afford theUniversity. Then I realised I would have towait for my status, before I could qualify fora student loan. I realised it would take toolong (6 years) and cost too much to pursuea career in pharmacy, so I had to start againin another direction.”

Many migrant workers from Eastern Europeface similar issues: qualified professionals intheir home country, many are now workingin food processing, cleaning services and thehospitality industry at minimum wage.

Unionlearn projects and Union LearningRepresentatives (ULRs) in this region havehad massive successes in engaging newlearners and now they have a vital role inresponding to the needs of refugees, migrantsand other workers who have been madevulnerable by this recession. And, in doingso, they might well be creating the nextgeneration of ULRs.

To find out more about the Northern TUC'sVulnerable Workers Project, or the initiativesaround ESOL, please contact:Ben Sellers on 0191 2275566

or email: [email protected]


17

In Zimbabwe I was aDepartmental Store Manager,and when I came to UK, myqualifications and experiencewere ignored and failed tosecure a job in that field

When I arrived in the UK,my first responsibility was tofind a way to support myselfand my son. And I had to learnEnglish


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18

The region celebratedthe fourth annualWork Wise Weekfrom 12-18 May


In its aim to make the UK one of the mostprogressive economies in the world byencouraging the widespread adoption ofsmarter working practices, Work Wisecelebrated its fourth Work Wise Week from12-18 May.

Smarter working practices may includeflexible, remote and mobile working as wellas working from home. Each day of the weekreflected a different theme of the campaign.

...encouraged people to work while on themove throughout the region. Work Wise NorthEast (WWNE) reviewed the progress of theNorth East Employer Coalition (NEEC), a localnot for profit organisation, one year afteradopting flexible working practices in a bidto reduce costs. Howard Forrest, chiefexecutive of NEEC says: “Adopting flexibleworking has led to a significant increase inproductivity and has also allowed us to makesubstantial cost savings.”

encouraged employers to use remote officesinstead of travelling to a central office. WWNEtalked to Tina Norris, a technical supportmanager for law firm, Dickinson Dees LLP.Tina works from home in Hampton Court,

Greater London – some 300 miles from theoffice. She said: “It was the opportunity towork from home, reporting in to head officeonce a month, which really attracted me tothe job.”

...reviewed the growing trend for virtualmeetings. The day was expected to receivesupport from almost half a million businessesacross the UK to show how the Britisheconomy could save billions of pounds bymaking use of video or telephoneconferencing.

In the region, One North East, a majorsupporter of flexible working methods andsmarter working, has recently invested invirtual technology to improve communicationsand reduce costs, seeing this as the wayahead to communicate with its employeesand external partners.

...revealed the latest research findings fromthe TUC, which indicate that more peoplethan ever are working from home. Five millionpeople were expected to support the campaignon Friday, May 15.

The North East region has seen the highest

growth in home working with 38 per centmore people working from home than tenyears ago, although we have the secondlowest percentage of home workers nationallyat 12.3 per cent.

Tom Pape, a Business ImprovementConsultant for BT, leapt at the chance to workfrom home, when BT suggested it. Now hesaves on a 60-mile round trip from his homein Rothbury into Newcastle when he wouldnormally have been in the office, is lessstressed and benefits from an improvedwork:life balance.

...was celebrated with Smarter Choices androunded the week off. WWNE suggestedalternatives to commuting by car in an attemptto discourage use of single occupancyvehicles at peak travel times.

The range of smarterworking practices reviewedduring the course of the week,served to demonstrate thevarious ways in which anorganisation can save money,improve morale, more easilyattract and retain staff, operatemore efficiently and make acontribution towards reducingcongestion on the roads.

Work wise - work smarter

Howard Forrest, NEEC’sChief Exec fully supports the Work Wise campaign

DAY 1 Mobile Office Day

Tina Norriswith children at home in Hampton Court

DAY 2 Remote Office Day

Michael Hitchen, ICT Senior Specialistat One North East, demonstrates the virtual technology

DAY 3 Virtual Office Day

BT’s Tom Pape has seen a big improvement in his work-life balance

DAY 4 Work From Home Day

Wiser ways to get to work meansparking the car and using other methods of transportation

DAY 5 Smarter Travel Day

Sarah Stewart : WWNE Project Director


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

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 protected]. This text may also be made available, on request, in accessible formats such as braille, audio tape and large print, at no extra cost.

Northern TUCCommercial Union House5th Floor, 39 Pilgrim Street,Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6QE

Telephone 0191 232 3175or email [email protected]

Unions WorkContacts:

eventsFor more information

on events or issuesplease contact the

Northern TUC

Kevin RowanNorthern TUC Regional [email protected]

Carolyn ClaytonRegional Policy [email protected]

Tom RossPolicy Project [email protected]

Melanie LowdenSecretary/Office [email protected]

Ben SellersVulnerable Workers Project [email protected]

Barney McgillUnionlearn regional [email protected]

Dave StorrieUnionlearn acting regional [email protected]

Ian WestRegional Education [email protected]

Anne AitkenheadUnionlearn Project [email protected]

Linda HughesRegional development [email protected]

Beth FarhatLearning for All Fund Project [email protected]

David NicholsonProject [email protected]

Pat WinterProject [email protected]

Natasha BerryProject [email protected]

Mike TanseyProject [email protected]

Joe McGuiganProject [email protected]

Ken GylesHigher Level Skills [email protected]

Graeme RushtonProject Worker, [email protected]

Susanne NicholMarketing and [email protected]

Julia Watsonu-net Performance and Support [email protected]

A new Case Study publication, detailing thedepth and breadth of the work the NorthernTUC and unionlearn carries out in the region,is now available.

The eight detailed studies outline the benefitsof union-led learning in the workplace.

To obtain your copy please contact ourNewcastle office on: 0191 232 3175 or visitwww.tuc.org.uk/northern orwww.unionlearn.org.uk/northern

Health & Safety Working Party12

August 2009 Calendar


September 2009 Calendar

TUC CongressLiverpool, 14 to 17 September14

Aida Quilcue Meeting RegionalIndigenous Council of Cauca02

July 2009 Calendar

Durham Miners GalaDurham City11


Education Learning & Skills ForumBritannia Airport Hotel, Newcastle16

Northern Pride EventSee : www.northernpride.org.uk18

Unions North Issue 20 : July 2009

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