Union Learning Representatives Research Articles

Countering the pedagogic hegemony of neo-liberalism in the workplace: a Freirean analysis of the contribution of union-led learning to enhanced worker participation in the UK

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critically assess the degree to which current union learning strategy and practice in the UK can become a catalyst for greater activism and participation by their members in the workplace and beyond. To this end, the paper seeks to draw on the rich heritage of pedagogic theory and practice in adult education writing to bring a fresh perspective to a key aspect of industrial relations.Design/methodology/approachThrough a meta-analysis of the current literature on the role of union learning representatives, learning centres and the context of that learning, the paper seeks to enhance understanding of how such initiatives in addition to upskilling workers lead to members' greater enlightenment with respect to the asymmetric power relations within the workplace and society. Using a conceptual model devised by the author from Freirean theory, this potentially increased awareness of their position in the organisation and society leading to greater levels of subsequent activism and participation by these learners is then critically assessed.FindingsUtilising the radical perspective of Paulo Freire, the article critically analyses the key elements of current union learning strategies in the UK. The paper concludes that union pedagogy strategy not just often raises members' awareness, as Freire would advocate, of their “subordinate” position in society, but potentially also genuinely equips them with the skills, knowledge and understanding to challenge that position through subsequent union activism and, therefore, greater participation in decision-making in the workplace. Union-facilitated learning, it is argued, can also develop the skills and knowledge necessary to increase members' job security.Originality/valueTo the author's knowledge, this is the first time that a Freirean analysis has been applied to this key element of contemporary trade union strategy and practice. In particular, the study seeks to also go beyond most studies of union pedagogic approaches and focus on the learner's journey and how this may imbue a propensity to become more active in the union and, therefore, the workplace.

Union learning representatives in the UK: activity, impact and organization

The debate over the significance of union learning representatives (ULRs) in the UK has become increasingly polarized. Some commentators see little prospect of ULRs contributing to advancing either workplace learning or union organization due to the constraints of neo-liberal state policy. An opposing view emphasizes union agency in developing a collective approach to learning and extended joint regulation through a process of critical engagement. This article presents analysis of data from the 2009 National Survey of ULRs, which finds a positive relationship between ULR activity and its impact in enhancing training outcomes, increasing union membership and the joint regulation of workplace learning. This supports arguments that agency of ULRs is not inevitably suppressed by the structural limitations of union learning.

A learning odyssey: the trials, tribulations and successes of the Educational Institute of Scotland’s further education and teacher learning representatives

For the past decade, I have been observing, researching and reporting on a group of Scottish further education lecturers and schoolteachers, who, through their trade union activities, have had a significant impact on their colleagues’ engagement with post-compulsory education and professional development. They are members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and are unpaid lay volunteers who are trained and accredited as Union Learning Representatives (ULRs). They have a specific remit of advising and guiding colleagues in all matters relating to post-compulsory education and professional development. The article will detail how from very humble beginnings this group has become an indispensable element of the Scottish education system. It will show how these ULRs, many of whom had not been involved in trade union or political activism, are now regarded as experts in the field of post-compulsory education and professional development. They regularly work with key stakeholders such as the Scottish Government, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and local authorities, and hold major positions within the EIS and on the General Teaching Council for Scotland. They have evolved as leaders within their institutions, the EIS and the Scottish education system more by accident than design. These developments indicate that they may well become key players in the construction and implementation of future local and national post-compulsory education and professional development policy. The article will be underpinned by the academic concepts of ‘wounded learners’, ‘organic intellectual growth’ and ‘emerging teacher leaders through professional development engagement’.

British trade unions and the academics: The case of Unionlearn

Unionlearn and union learning representatives were developed by the British TUC to match workers with education and training opportunities, strengthen the economy, foster market inclusion and facilitate social mobility. Their contribution to union revitalisation was emphasised. This article questions whether, with unions confronting global crisis, this is a necessary initiative. It stemmed from TUC failure to achieve policy goals, institutional needs, consequent acceptance of a lesser role, and the availability of state finance. Claims by academics that it provides influence over state policy and contributes to revitalisation remain inadequately evidenced. Union resurgence is not immanent. The way forward is through adversarial grassroots organising and socialist education, not through retooling capital, improving members’ marketability and partnership with a hostile state.

Workplace literacy and numeracy learning: An opportunity for trade union renewal in Australia?

This paper first examines the current literacy and numeracy ‘crisis’ in Australian workplaces where loss of productivity, lack of take-up in training, and skills shortages are being blamed on workers’ lack of literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy and numeracy in workplaces are more complex and require alternative understandings of literacy and numeracy as well as the perspectives of workers themselves. Secondly, this paper discusses the opportunity for unions to demonstrate their stake in the education and training of workers. We ask what possibilities are there for this to happen; and what models exist from which Australian trade unions can draw? In the UK the Trade Union Congress (TUC) successfully negotiated with the Labour Government, to establish a Union Learning Fund (ULF) and give recognition to union learning representatives (ULRs), to facilitate learning for workers. The paper considers what new directions Australian unions might explore in the emerging VET policy environment.

What every worker wants? Evidence about employee demand for learning

In order to boost learning, recent UK governments have invested in trade union-led workplace learning. Investing in the supply of learning is useful but ignores the demand for learning by workers, about which there is little research. This paper addresses this lacunae by analysing worker demand for learning, which workers want learning, what learning is demanded and why, and what factors might best lever learning. Data come from two surveys of potential learners and union learning representatives. Findings reveal a large demand for learning and that unions can lever this learning. Findings also suggest further policy development to address problems associated with union-led learning.

Teacher leadership as intellectual leadership: creating spaces for alternative voices in the English school system

Teacher leadership has become an area of significant interest in research and policy terms in recent years. However, as a form of leadership it remains orthodox and conservative, rooted in largely traditional managerialist hierarchies, and disconnected from a critique of the wider policy imperatives that shape the contexts in which leadership is constructed. This article reports on an evaluation study of the work of Union Learning Representatives in a major teaching union in England and suggests that their role offers a new and more fruitful way of considering teacher leadership. Such leadership needs to be genuinely democratic and focused on cohering a professional voice amongst teachers. It is not a leadership concerned with providing ‘vision’, but one rooted in a dialogic and critical process, from which genuinely transformatory possibilities emerge.

Union Learning Representatives: Challenges and Opportunities - Edited by Alex Alexandrou

British Journal of Industrial RelationsVolume 50, Issue 1 p. 181-183 Union Learning Representatives: Challenges and Opportunities – Edited by Alex Alexandrou MARK STUART, MARK STUART University of LeedsSearch for more papers by this author MARK STUART, MARK STUART University of LeedsSearch for more papers by this author First published: 13 February 2012 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2011.00879_8.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Volume50, Issue1March 2012Pages 181-183 RelatedInformation

Book review: A Alexandrou (ed.), Union Learning Representatives: Challenges and Opportunities

Union learning representatives (ULRs) have developed an increasingly prominent union role (practically and as a focus of academic interest) since ULRs were given statutory rights in 2002 to ‘reasonable’ paid time off to undertake their duties. The development thereafter of equality representatives in UK unions has added another dimension to debates on specialist union representative roles, including their substantive impact on employees and workplaces, the achievement of public policy objectives and, significantly, their role in union revitalization.

Assessing the impact of Union Learning Representatives on training: evidence from a matched sample of ULRs and managers

Drawing on a matched sample of pairs of Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) and managers in 90 workplaces, this article evaluates managers’ views of the impact of ULRs on training and compares these views with those of ULRs themselves. Although managers are less positive than are ULRs about the impact ULRs have had, a significant proportion of managers nevertheless state that ULRs have had a positive influence. The article also uses the matched data to assess the factors associated with ULR effectiveness. ULRs are more likely to have had an impact on training where managers support the ULR role, where there is a learning centre at the workplace, where negotiation over training takes place and where the ULR covers no more than 200 employees.

Learning, labour and union learning representatives: promoting workplace learning

The initiative by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and affiliated trade unions in the UK to appoint trade union learning representatives (ULRs), to promote learning among their members, is a significant development in adult learning. Understandably, the initiative has attracted the attention of academic researchers, but primarily from the discipline of industrial relations, or human resource specialists with a focus on the institutions and practice of relations between the employee, their trade union and the employer. This paper, instead, addresses the role of learning advocates in promoting participation in formal workplace learning and draws on a wide selection of data and surveys to consider the contribution of ULRs to access and participation in learning by employees. In addition it is informed by an interview with the trade union founders of the Barnsley and Doncaster TUC/TEC Bargaining for Skills project (BDTUC/TEC, 2010).

UNION LEARNING REPRESENTATIVES: STATE AGENTS OR SOCIAL PARTNERS?

This article outlines the origins and development of union learning representatives (ULRs) in England. ULRs have been increasingly recognised by government as intermediaries that can engage with ‘hard-to-reach’ employees and help stimulate and meet their demand for learning and skills. It summarises recent research on their profile, role and impact. It also compares and contrasts ULRs in England with the development of learning representatives in New Zealand, and draws lessons for their potential in other jurisdictions. The article also examines the role of the ULR in relation to trade union representative and public administrative functions. It concludes that a statutory framework is now required which optimises union and ULR leverage on employers over the provision of learning and skills although this is likely to be even more problematic with the election of the Coalition Government in the UK.

Union representation and training: The impact of Union Learning Representatives and the factors influencing their effectiveness

This article provides an assessment of the impact of Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) on both employer-funded and non-employer funded training in Britain. The findings, based upon the largest and most comprehensive national survey of ULRs conducted to date, suggest that while a significant proportion of ULRs have influenced training levels positively, a further 26 percent have had no positive impact on either employer-funded or non-employer funded training, and a further 13 percent have had a very limited impact. The article also develops an ‘Activity-Support-Characteristics’ (ASC) framework, and uses this framework to identify the factors that are associated with the ability of ULRs to influence training levels. The analysis shows ULRs are more likely to have had a positive impact on training where: they spend five hours a week or more on the role; they are supported by a workplace Learning Centre or a Union Learning Fund project; managers value their ULR activities; consultation or negotiation over training occurs; or the ULR represents no more than 200 employees.

Exploring the relationship between union learning representatives and employer-provided training in Britain

This paper explores whether the relationship between union learning representatives (ULRs) and employer-provided training is influenced by ULR characteristics and management support. Using linked employer-employee-worker rep data from the 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey, the results demonstrate that a large proportion of ULRs have not spent any time on issues associated with employee training in their representative role in the past 12 months. Training incidence is however no higher in workplaces where there is an ‘active’ ULR than elsewhere. In both the public and private sectors training incidence is higher where there is a ‘hybrid’ ULR fulfilling other representative roles as well as the ULR role, rather than a ‘dedicated’ ULR. In addition, training incidence is higher in the public sector where ULRs are newer to union representation and it is higher in the private sector where the ULR has 10 years or more rep experience. Training incidence is also higher in the public sector where the ULR has access to office facilities.

Development through partnership: how learning representatives are helping to meet the challenge of upskilling Scottish FE lecturers

In Scotland, both the present Scottish Government and previous Scottish Executive have put a great deal of emphasis on the continuing professional development (CPD) of educators. The further education (FE) sector has not been exempt, notably with the introduction of the Teaching qualification (Further Education) (TQFE) followed by The review of Scotland’s colleges: Inspiring achievement. These and other initiatives have given the lifelong learning and professional development of FE personnel and the role of union learning representatives (ULRs) greater impetus within the Scottish lecturing profession. To date there has been no attempt to analyse and discuss the activities of ULRs in the post‐compulsory sector in any part of the United Kingdom. This article seeks to redress this imbalance and will deal specifically with the activities and experiences of the Educational Institute of Scotland’s first cohort of FE LRs based on a study of their activities and experiences and the impact they are having on the lifelong and professional development agendas in Scottish FE.

Trade unions learning representatives: progressing partnership?

The statutory rights given to trade union learning representatives (ULRs) to facilitate and organize learning in the workplace has led to the creation of a new specialized union lay official role. This article investigates how the ULR initiative is facilitating the development of learning partnerships in the workplace. Empirical data is provided from a qualitative study that draws on interviews with full-time trade union officials from a range of unions. It is argued that although the ULR initiative provides opportunities for unions to promote the ideal of learning partnerships within the workplace, rights to learning remain a contested terrain between many employers and unions.

Challenging the orthodoxy: union learning representatives as organic intellectuals

Teacher education and continuing professional development have become key areas of controversy in England since the period of school‐sector restructuring following the 1988 Education Reform Act. More recently, teacher training and professional development have often been used to promote and reinforce a narrow focus on the government’s ‘standards agenda’. However, the emerging discourse of ‘new professionalism’ has raised the profile of professional development in schools, and, together with union learning representatives, there are opportunities to secure real improvements in teachers’ access to continuing professional development. This article argues, however, that union learning representatives must go beyond advocating for better access to professional development and should raise more fundamental questions about the nature of professional development and the education system it serves. Drawing on Gramsci’s notion of the ‘organic intellectual’, the article argues that union learning representatives have a key role as organisers of ideas—creating spaces in which the ideological dominance of current policy orthodoxy might be challenged.

Unions and learning: an historical overview

This article traces the history of union involvement in learning and skills policy from the neo‐corporatism of the 1960s and 1970s through the voluntarism of the 1980s and 1990s to the present ‘post‐voluntary’ era. It sets out the political background against which the development of union learning representatives can be contextualised. The article outlines the significant capacity building in unions such as union learning representatives under New Labour. This has been seen as contributing to the Government’s skills strategy, particularly in opening learning opportunities to those with few or no qualifications. It suggests, however, that the low level of collective bargaining over learning and skills and continuing employer prerogative over job‐specific training and skill utilisation limits delivering the broad union learning agenda at the workplace. If unions and union learning representatives are to advance this agenda, then this will require increased collective bargaining over training and a greater role for unions in policy development within a new statutory framework.

Understanding the role of union learning representatives in developing distinctive approaches to union learning

This article aims to provide a broad understanding of the role of union learning representatives (ULRs) and the contribution of union education and learning initiatives. It examines the scope for union learning to be distinctive and sustainable, and it does this by summarising and building upon a holistic review of research of ULR activity across the range of work and unions in the United Kingdom. The paper finds that there are opportunities arising from union learning, particularly for individuals to access learning opportunities for the first time, enabling economic and social well‐being; and the potential to develop critical awareness, reflection and action, with an emphasis on learning through social participation. It also stresses the need for caution in assessing achievement to date, with research suggesting a narrow focus of union learning, on increasing supply of qualifications rather than raising skill demand, and on low‐level qualifications with little added value. The article concludes that ULRs can play a central role in strengthening the contributions of learning initiatives through the union movement.

The evolving role of union learning representatives

This article suggests that the union learning representative (ULR) is increasingly situated at the heart of trade union activity. The paper draws upon recent research based on interviews with national trade union officers and case studies of union learning activity to explore the competing demands being made upon ULRs and the implications for their role in the union and the delivery of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in the workplace. It finds that whilst the government’s learning and skills agenda has moved away from a broad conceptualisation of learning for social and self‐development and towards an increasingly narrow interpretation of lifelong learning based upon employability, ULRs and trade unions have not abandoned this vision. At the same time, union expectations of the role of the ULR appear to have shifted and they are increasingly seen as part of wider union recruitment and organising strategies. The case studies suggest that where efforts are made to integrate ULRs into the wider union, a number broaden their activism beyond learning and make a contribution to building workplace or branch organisation on the basis of learning.