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Page context: Home > Transport International Magazine > Issue 24 July 2006 > Lessons in learning
Christine Ssebowa Ascott explains how strategy responds to the challenges facd by ITF-affilliated unions
Integral to the ITF’s mobilising and globalising solidarity perspective is the importance of education as a tool to build an effective labour response to globalisation.
ITF education programmes focus on the economic and industrial trends faced by transport workers in both developed and developing countries. The strategy is to facilitate the sharing of common experiences, to build a critical analysis of industrial change and to formulate joint approaches to defend transport workers’ rights globally, while developing alternatives to neo-liberal transport restructuring.
If the ITF’s education initiatives are to make an impact, we constantly have to be aware of and connect with the complicated mix of approaches to education that exist in affiliates. The role and importance of these approaches vary greatly, from those unions with budgeted institutional structures for education to those with a total lack of education activities.
Some unions perceive education as a central part of union work, used in the organisation and mobilisation of workers, and essential to the union’s bargaining capability. Others perceive it more narrowly, perhaps only in terms of occupational health and safety or shop stewards’ training.
Resource availability and commitment determine whether there are national, regional and branch education committees or just a coordinator charged with the planning and implementation of education policy. Up to 15 per cent of the union budget may be allocated to education, yet many educators are unable to control how this percentage is utilised.
Whatever the resources or structures of the union, trade union education has generally been in decline in many unions. Global trends have left affiliates in many countries struggling to limit the damage caused by constant restructuring and the redundancies that arise from it. When affiliates do find time for education in the midst of this vital work, they may find it difficult to articulate global issues to members in a relevant and pertinent way.
Overcoming obstacles
Many affiliates overcome a lack of resources, both human and financial, to find ways of incorporating regional and international issues into members’ education. The ITF has supported these initiatives by running seminars and providing information and materials on international issues.
The ITF encourages self-sufficiency in education by supporting affiliates who have found innovative ways of providing education, for example by developing peer group educator roles among the membership, and working with labour non-government organisations. The Bangladesh Railway Employees’ League has its entire education programme provided for by the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies. National centres may also be direct providers of education, as in the case of the Communication and Transport Workers’ Union of Tanzania, which relies on its national centre to provide its education on globalisation.
A number of unions have successfully set up company training, whereby workers’ committees agree with management to organise training conducted by union educators – with paid time off for participants.
Educating our members:
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Tailoring programmes to fit
For some unions, education programmes may be linked to the priorities of the national centre. The South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) for example, developed its strategy of “programme pillars” in conjunction with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu). The delivery of the programme – which includes units on staff and leadership development, political, campaigning and shop steward education – is done in conjunction with the Development Institute for Training, Support and Education for Labour (Ditsela), linked to the biggest national union federations.
In trying to make education relevant and accessible to workers, some union educators are getting certification for their courses through links with universities and colleges. Some affiliates provide practical skills training for members, so as to equip them to deal with the insecurities of the labour market. A lot of work is also being done in the field of online education as a means of reaching a wider layer of membership.
Many unions have been able to secure external funding to run specific education activities, particularly on international issues. Affiliates are also inviting external speakers to speak to members on specialist subjects.
Educators generally profess to support a participatory approach to education, which revolves around group activities and discussion. In practice however, it is clear that many affiliates are still using the lecturing approach, which is often dull, results in less information being absorbed, and does not encourage thorough discussion.
Local to global: making the link
A common problem for unions is securing paid time off for members to attend education seminars. Some of our affiliates report this has become more of an issue since anti-union multinational companies have taken over existing companies.
In order to overcome the problem, affiliates are developing study circles and activities that members can get involved with during lunch times or weekends, or by taking paid leave. Of course members will not be willing to use their free time to take part in such initiatives unless they see them as relevant and important. Even then, women can easily be excluded as their domestic and care responsibilities may limit their options.
Linking the local with the international and doing it in such a way as to ensure members understand and are motivated can be very difficult. But ITF-led education work revolves around using a participatory approach to ensure that members can see where they are located in the global picture.
It is helpful to begin with the daily experience of the workers in their workplace and community, then show their role in the transport chain of the global production system, their linkages with other transport workers, and how these relate to and are affected by the decisions taken by employers and governments.
This kind of understanding of changes to global employment structures and relationships is a crucial part of helping unions to face up to new realities – for example in terms of the informal transport workforce. Often affiliates view informal workers as a threat, or without any bearing on their own existence. Only when the union understands that informal transport workers may become key to its survival are steps then taken to include these workers in education and organising activities.
Moving forward
For the ITF, the issue is about how we can support affiliates in implementing their education strategies – in particular in bringing issues relating to globalisation and its impact on labour to their own members and union officials. The ITF summer school is one key education tool with which we work to bring together activists and union leaders from all over the world, and underline the issues they have in common. Sector-specific seminars on restructuring in all ITF regions have been effective in stimulating similar education at a local level for trade union members.
The development of ITF education materials on issues related to globalisation have helped provide an educational dimension to ITF-coordinated international action days, campaigns, industrial policies and organising.
Building an ITF educators’ network and a shared affiliate resource database were among the key proposals reinforced at a global educators’ seminar held in Johannesburg in October 2005. The ITF education department is using the password-protected “ITF Link” section of the ITF website (www.itfglobal.org) to make these and other education resources accessible to educators, who can register online to share materials and exchange ideas. This forum will build on the collaborative approach currently undertaken by affiliates through their work with national centres, other unions, labour organisations and education institutions.
Education is a dynamic process, which can result in new demands being placed on an organisation. For example, participation in an education programme might bring the voice of previously excluded trade union members into either local or international union structures; or through an education programme, members might develop confidence to initiate international solidarity action or a campaign. It is important that the momentum created by education is treated seriously and positively, and integrated properly into the democratic structures of a local union or Global Union Federation. In this way we can ensure that education strengthens our efforts to organise globally.
A new agenda for education>> |
Christine Ssebowa Ascott is an assistant in the ITF's Education department in London.
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Issue 24 July 2006
Other pages for Issue 24 July 2006:
working life | Reflections | TI interview | HIV/Aids and transport | German shipping under fire | Still proud to be a docker | Reaching out to informal workers | Regional perspectives | Untapped youth | Global solidarity in action | The playful revolutionary | Organising Globally | Comment
Other pages for Lessons in learning:
A new agenda for education
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