Trade Union Approaches to History in Education

Trade union approaches to history in their education

and training programmes

A report for the History & Policy Trade Union Forum by the Trade Union Research Unit, Ruskin College, Oxford

By Rupert Griffin

November 2012

Contents

Acknowledgments 3 Foreword 4 1 Executive summary 7 2 Aims 9 3 Methodology 9 4 Findings 10 a) How history features in trade union websites 10 b) How history features in education and training 12 c) Education or training? 14 d) Possible areas of collaboration between unions and H&P 15

5 Case studies: the RMT and UNISON 16 The RMT 16 Unison 18

6 Elements of a new model 21 7 Recommendations 22

Further reading and websites 23 Appendix: History & Policy Trade Union History Fellowship Questionnaire

Acknowledgements

Special thanks must go to Dr. Alastair Reid, Dr. Jim Moher, Fiona Holland and Douglas Dowell at History & Policy for providing the Trade Union Research Unit (TURU) at Ruskin College with the opportunity to conduct this research and also for their guidance, facilitation and support in seeing the project through. The researchers would like to thank the King’s Business Futures Fund at King's College London for funding the project.

Donald Cameron at UNISON deserves special mention for taking the time to provide insightful and valuable comments throughout the project. Andy Gilchrist at the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) is also thanked for his participation and in allowing the use of the RMT’s educational provision as a case study.

This project would not have been possible without the interviews and questionnaire responses of trade union officials from Prospect, the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA), the Communication Workers Union (CWU), the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), Unite the Union, the University and College Union (UCU) and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Union Learn tutors. Final thanks must go the members of the History & Policy Trade Union Forum, chaired by John Edmonds, for their feedback on the draft report.

Finally, Denis Gregory deserves special mention for providing invaluable support and advice throughout the project as well as the insightful foreword that follows.

Foreword

That the trade union movement in the UK has a long and proud history is both understood and revered by most union activists. Many histories of individual unions have been written and a visit to a union head office inevitably reveals other visual trappings of a union’s history. Reception areas of most union head offices abound with busts of previous general secretaries, old photographs of governing bodies, inscribed tablets of wood and stone and other memorabilia, all celebrating the past glories, campaigns and personalities that have helped establish and develop the union. Latterly union websites have, to varying extents, also included an overview of the union’s history and development. Unions are rightly proud of their history. Yet, to the uninitiated and indeed for many union members, this long and proud history remains largely unknown.

Among the many possible explanations for this is what is widely perceived as the ‘demonization’ of trade unionism promoted in the 1980s by the first two Thatcher administrations, combined with the subsequent decline in union membership that has virtually destroyed the inter- generational narratives by which working class families have traditionally passed on trade-union values and beliefs. The outcome is to leave large swathes of the UK’s workforce with at best a hazy notion of what trade unions stand for and, at worst, a negative view born out of the bigotry and prejudice that have been the staples of union-bashing activity in recent decades. It is commonplace to hear union activists and recruiters remark that they frequently have to remind workmates that ‘it was the union who fought for their terms and conditions, the union who won health and safety protection at the workplace and the union that campaigned and struggled for equal pay and equal opportunities’. Such comments are a clear indication that for many workers the history and purpose of trade unions have been submerged and forgotten. For young workers, the vast majority of whom are not trade union members, this is a particular problem. The challenge for trade unions is how to use their history and traditions to enthuse, educate, inspire and mobilise workers. There are a number of ways that history can play a constructive

4 part in modern trade unionism. Promoting a sense of history to counter the negative image of trade unions is plainly an important task and one that is increasingly recognised as being central to the recruitment of non-members. For this to be achieved, education and training for union activists in the history of their union and of the national and international union movement is a fundamental requirement. This can be buttressed by additional opportunities to delve into the history of a union, which could be assisted by a sympathetically designed website.

A central aim of H&P's Trade Union Education Project has been to establish the extent to which unions in the UK are using their individual histories in education and training programmes to create ways of linking with their past that will enthuse existing members and inspire non- members to join them.

Another aim was to examine the feasibility of connecting professional labour historians with unions in ways that might help unions think through the challenges posed by both contemporary and longstanding difficulties in the workplace.

While the world of work has undeniably changed, the issues and problems that work relationships generate have proved to be remarkably persistent and durable. There is 'nothing new under the sun' as far as labour relations are concerned. Moreover, the historical knowledge and labour relations experience that most unions can draw upon when called into action at the workplace is, more often than not, deeper and better grounded than that available to many managers. Where unions are well established, it is not uncommon for them have a longer presence at the workplace than managers who frequently pass through on fairly short tenures.

In this context, a sense of history in order to avoid reinventing the wheel and revisiting old mistakes is important. This in turn raises a number of questions. Firstly, are unions making the best use of locally-embedded historical knowledge when contemplating specific initiatives or actions at the workplace? Secondly, to what extent might union officers and activists tasked with defending and advancing their members’ interests benefit from the advice and insight of a historian? Thirdly, should the skills of historical research and interpretation be added to the range of skills that are included in the basic training unions give to their officers and activists?

This modest project sets out some answers to these questions and proposes ways that history and historians could play a constructive role in shaping the future of trade union activity in the UK.

Denis Gregory

1. Executive Summary

The Trade Union Education Project sought to understand the extent to which trade unions make use of the history of their particular union, or trade union history more generally, in their education and training programmes.

The research was conducted by the Trade Union Research Unit at Ruskin College, Oxford in association with the History & Policy Trade Union Forum and with the support of the King’s Business Futures Fund at King's College London.

Researchers examined the approaches of 19 major trade unions, as well as the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU), to understand whether, how and why they use history – and how historians could facilitate the inclusion of more history in trade union education provision. In total 10 trade union officials concerned with education provision participated in the research through interviews and questionnaires.

Key Findings

1.1 Trade unions do provide a history of their own organisations and refer to broader trade union history but this is limited

14 out of 21 of the largest unions (in terms of membership) provide a brief history of their own organisation on their websites. Trade union history rarely features in education courses currently offered by unions. Where it does, it is usually in a brief overview. One reason for this lack of provision is the sometimes acrimonious process of merger, whereby smaller unions have merged to form larger unions. In some cases it is union policy to avoid discussions of these difficult and often divisive periods of their history. The inclusion of history in union education is to some extent determined by the aims of that education provision: the emphasis is on skills training, to enable union representatives to carry out their roles, rather than 'chalk and talk' lectures – in which the inclusion

of history could be perceived as challenging, irrelevant and a luxury the union could not afford.

1.2 There is scope for expanding the provision of history in union education and training

Some respondents believe that with the increasing popularity of history in the media and in public life generally, trade union and labour history would be of interest, particularly to members under 30. This is evidenced by attendance at events such as the Durham Min- ers’ Gala and Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival and Rally. Examples exist of union history being included in skills training courses - known as 'membership development' - and there is scope for expansion. UNISON and the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) offer examples of best practice in their provision of trade union history within education and membership development programmes. History & Policy could assist with the history component of union education by: o providing guest speakers o providing a historical context to organising, campaigning and negotiating o providing training in historical research methods o creating a ‘virtual college’ of workshops and events o attaching PhD students to unions who would become in-house historians in ex- change for access to archives.

1.3 Historians partnering with unions would need to understand union needs

Agreeing the outputs of research. For example, papers or reports to inform policy making, materials to aid teaching, articles and background materials that could be used in campaigning. Being willing to hold workshops and talks throughout the country and not only in metropolitan areas. Making joint efforts to raise funding for PhD studentships in unions.

2. Aims

The overarching aim of the Trade Union Education Project was to understand the extent to which trade unions use the history of their union and/or labour and union movement history more broadly in their education programmes. A key outcome was to explore and understand unions' interest in, and the feasibility of, a historian fellowship programme.

Researchers considered the extent to which UK unions use their history in the education and training programmes they provide for their officials and members.

Researchers also examined the feasibility of connecting labour historians with unions in ways that might help unions use history to consider the challenges posed by contemporary and longstanding difficulties in the workplace.

To do this, researchers looked at the approaches of 19 major trade unions, as well as the TUC and GFTU, to understand whether, how and why they use history – and how historians could facilitate the inclusion of more history in trade union education provision. In total 10 trade union officials concerned with education provision participated in the research through interviews and questionnaires.

3. Methodology

Through desk-based research, and drawing on existing TURU contacts in the trade union movement, the researchers identified over 100 officials whose remit covered education provision. This phase of the research also examined the use of trade union history within union education provision at all major UK trade unions.

The researchers designed a questionnaire and organised an interview schedule (see Appendix A). In total 22 officials were invited to take part in the research. In summer 2011 interviews were conducted with officials from UNISON, RMT, CWU, TUC Union Learn, Unite the Union, GFTU and Prospect. Questionnaire responses were received from the FBU, TSSA and the UCU.

The researchers sought feedback and opinions from students studying on the International Labour and Trade Union Studies BA at Ruskin College, Oxford, in a series of focus groups.

A seminar at King's College London was held to explore in more detail the key issues uncovered by the research, following which the initial findings were presented and discussed at a meeting of the H&P Trade Union Forum.

4. Findings a) How history features in trade union websites

Table 4a demonstrates the various approaches adopted by unions towards the provision of trade union history. In some of the unions, no history features at all, while others make extensive use of either the history of their union or labour movement history more broadly. It should be noted that the research focused on the information provided on the unions’ main websites and not on regional or branch websites.

Table 4a) Trade union history provision on union websites

Union Link to TU History of Links to Website history union on external specific website? history course? provision? CWU N N N www.cwu.org GMB N Y N www.gmb.org.uk UNISON Y N Y www.unison.org.uk

Unite N Y N www.unitetheunion.org RMT N N Y www.rmt.org.uk TSSA Y Y N www.tssa.org.uk PCS Y Y Y www.pcs.org.uk

Prospect N N N www.prospect.org.uk UCU N Y Y www.ucu.org.uk FBU N Y N www.fbu.org.uk USDAW N Y N www.usdaw.org.uk

Community N Y N www.community-tu.org NUJ N Y N www.nuj.org.uk NASUWT N N N www.nasuwt.org.uk

NUT N Y N www.teachers.org.uk ATL N N N www.atl.org.uk BECTU N Y Y www.bectu.org.uk BFAWU N N N www.bfawu.org

UCATT N Y N www.ucatt.org.uk TUC Y Y Y www.tuc.org.uk GFTU Y Y Y www.gftu.org

The TUC supported website 'The Union Makes us Strong: TUC History Online' (see www.unionhistory.info) is another online resource with an extensive archive of trade union and labour movement which also includes materials for tutors or anyone who wishes to use them. The website resulted from a partnership between London Metropolitan University and the TUC in support of their commitment to lifelong learning, and was made possible through a grant from the New Opportunities Fund (now the Big Lottery Fund) as part of their Nationwide Digitisation Programme (NOF-Digitise).

b) How history features in education and training

The aim of the questionnaire and interviews was to ascertain how the history of each union is communicated to members as well as whether and how that history is incorporated in unions’ educational provision. The questionnaire and interviews also sought to identify areas where respondents felt labour historians could add value to their education provision. A further aim was to gauge the level of engagement the respondents would wish to have with the project in future.

The interviews and questionnaire responses highlighted the often contrasting approaches taken by different unions to either individual trade union history or labour movement history more broadly. Some unions make extensive use of both the history of their union and labour movement history throughout their education provision. Other unions make no deliberate reference to history at all. Several respondents in interview highlighted innovative ways in which they engage members with either the history of the union or the labour movement more broadly.

One of the main reasons identified by respondents for a lack of historical provision within education programmes was the often difficult processes under which small unions had merged to form larger organisations. Some respondents made clear that it had often been policy to avoid discussions of union histories because of acrimonious divisions between individual unions prior to mergers. Consequently, for the majority of trade unionists the history of their union is

12 missing from one of their main sources of information about union matters, the website. Furthermore, as a consequence of these ‘difficult histories’, the history of the union is often absent from introductory courses offered to union representatives and members.

Unsurprisingly, those that have not undergone mergers in recent times have taken a different approach, and are proud to highlight, often in a glorified way, their history.

Two respondents reported that the history of their union played no part in their educational provision. Of the respondents, 11 made clear that any reference to union history comprised a brief overview incorporated in the introductory courses for new representatives. Four respondents pointed to the existence of publications about the history of their unions (a list of titles is included in the further reading section).

As the desk research has shown, the history of individual trade unions does feature on 14 union websites; however this was not always highlighted by respondents.

With regard to labour history more broadly, two respondents indicated that no historical perspective was provided in their educational provision. Again, the majority of respondents indicated that if labour movement history was included, it was typically a brief overview at the beginning of a course.

Some of the respondents’ unions do make active use of labour history. For example many have historical reference sections in their libraries and provide members with access to their often extensive archives. There is also much historical material, in the form of photos, pictures and statues, for example, displayed in head offices and education centres of the majority of respondents’ unions, usually with a focus on past ‘glories’. Some unions have meeting or training rooms named after historical figures or events.

One respondent stated that his union regularly featured articles about labour movement history in the membership magazine, while other respondents highlighted the incorporation of visits to museums and libraries as part of their educational provision.

c) Education or training?

For the majority of respondents, the main focus of their respective union’s educational provision was training for members, representatives and officials to enable them to better carry out their roles. The focus group participants pointed out that the union courses they had attended were typically participatory rather than 'chalk and talk', often involving role play with a focus on practical skills training. It was felt that incorporating history into such courses would be challenging and even irrelevant.

Many respondents stated that, at a time of decreasing union income, stand-alone history courses are regarded as a luxury. Some respondents thought that courses with a historical focus would be considered ‘uninteresting’ to members and would consequently be under-subscribed. However, several respondents recognised the increasing popularity of history and especially family history, as evidenced by the growth of history programmes in the media. The increasing digitisation of historical archives has also helped to make history more accessible and consequently more popular. Some respondents said that trade union history was becoming increasingly popular with younger (i.e. under 30 year old) members.

As the case studies from UNISON and the RMT (see page 15) highlight however, not all the respondents’ unions took the view that their members would be uninterested in learning more from and about their unions’ history.

One stated that there was a degree of flexibility within all training courses and some tutors do include a historical perspective For example, in a health and safety course for union representatives, tutors might include a historical timeline charting the evolution of health and safety law to provide a context for more recent legislation.

While history may only feature briefly in some training courses, trade union and labour movement history does, occasionally, feature more prominently in courses aimed at improving members’ broader skills. Often referred to as ‘membership development’, these courses cover a

14 range of topics from numeracy and literacy, through to support for degree study. Membership development courses seek to provide access to education for members, allowing them to enhance their personal skills.

As the case studies from the RMT and UNISON below demonstrate, it is in membership development where trade union and labour movement history is most likely to appear.

d) Possible areas of collaboration between unions and H&P

The majority of respondents highlighted areas in which they considered the active involvement of a labour historian would support current trade union thinking and activity including:

Campaigns, negotiations, bargaining and pensions – analysis of the successes and failures of the past to inform current thinking Women’s history The impact of mergers – addressing issues and moving on 'Hidden histories' – experiences of minority member groups (e.g. BME and LGBT) that have previously been overlooked or sidelined The history of young members’ engagement An EU and global perspective – a historical analysis of international trade unionism, especially as many unions deal with multinational companies.

5. Case studies: the RMT and Unison

The following interviews with officials from the RMT and UNISON highlight some of the ways unions have sought to engage their membership with history. In the case of the RMT the reported popularity of history talks among younger members at external events such as the annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival and Rally is particularly encouraging. Meanwhile UNISON’s membership development team have adopted an exciting and innovative approach to using their archive in training courses aimed at enhancing members’ research, communication, IT and campaigning skills.

Case study: the RMT

Interview with Andy Gilchrist, National Education Officer

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is a result of the merger of the National Union of Seamen and the National Union of Railwaymen in 1990. The RMT's history is recorded in several books and pamphlets, which include the major events such as Taff Vale in 1900.

Publications include: Mike Berlins’ 2006 Never on our knees: A History of the RMT, 1979-2006; The Railwaymen: The History of the National Union of Railwaymen by Philip S. Bagwell (1963); and The Seamen: A History of the National Union of Seamen by Arthur Marsh and Victoria Ryan (1989).

More recently the RMT produced a pamphlet Pulling Together: A Popular History of RMT, by Sean Geoghegan and Brian Denny in 2009. A short video of former RMT President John Leach talking about his role and aspects of the union's history can be seen here: http://bit.ly/tFSPG

The RMT’s current approach to education is twofold. Firstly there is RMT Education which focuses on practical courses for activists and officials (e.g. short courses on Health & Safety, Organising and Union Learning Reps) which take place at the RMT National Education Centre in

Doncaster. Secondly there is RMT Learning which offers workplace courses to members and officials in IT skills, literacy and numeracy, and languages, for example. Full details of RMT education provision can be found at: http://bit.ly/qTZxGT

With regard to how RMT history features within the union’s education provision, AG stated:

The RMT history is covered on all three Workplace Reps courses. The subject is also a feature of our Young Members’ Education programme.

With regard to more general labour movement and trade union history provision in the RMT education programme, AG said:

The general TU history is covered on both workplace reps and branch officials core course to some extent, but in no great depth. Specific courses are run for Young Members at Tolpuddle, Durham, Burston and our own AGM. The Global Organising course also covers the international perspective.

AG reported that RMT and labour movement history also feature in the Political Education programme. AG was keen to point out that events on historical aspects of the RMT or the labour movement more broadly are always popular and well attended. AG believes that the history of the labour movement is important, but it would need to be made ‘relevant for members today’ if stand-alone history courses were started.

One method the RMT uses to convey labour movement history is through guest speakers at the short residential courses the union organises at its centre in Doncaster. Previous speakers have included National Union of Mineworkers representatives involved in strike action in the 1970s, for example. Another method is group visits to the Marx Memorial Library, with which the RMT has formed a good relationship.

With regard to areas of interest where a historian could potentially assist RMT, AG identified: campaigns, mergers, leaders, women members, the shop stewards’ movement, organisational culture, BME & other under-represented groups.

AG was keen to further explore the ways in which History & Policy could add value to the RMT’s education provision, for example through regular workshops with History & Policy historians, H&P providing guest speakers and a historian working with the RMT on an aspect of its contemporary history.

Case study: Unison

Interview with Donald Cameron, Membership Development Officer

UNISON is only 18 years old and as such has a short history, which is contained in the 2003 booklet, 10 years in UNISON. Whilst not exactly a history, Redefining Public Sector Trade Unionism: UNISON and the Future of Trade Unions, edited by Mike Terry and published in 2000, includes essays by UNISON officials on the formation, philosophy and strategy of the union.

As UNISON was formed by the merger of several unions, discussions about its history have been played down to avoid arguments within or between the merged unions, and to maintain a focus on creating a single, unified union looking to the future, not the past.

UNISON's approach to education is twofold. Firstly there is education for activists and reps that focuses on practical courses (e.g. Employment Law and Handling Grievances) and secondly courses aimed at developing members’ skills in a wide variety of subjects from basic numeracy and literacy to support for degree study. See http://www.unison.org.uk/laos/ for full details of the Learning and Organising services provision.

With regard to the provision of history, either about UNISON or labour movement history broadly, DC stated:

Union history does not feature in our national education programmes for activists, although a number of our regions offer short courses which incorporate some historical study.

The UNISON North West region’s project In Touch With Our Roots provides a good example – see http://www.unisonnw.org.uk/Roots/. Making use of the Salford Working Class Movement Library, regional archives and testimonials the North West region project seeks to:

…bring to life events which can often seem grey and remote and our mission is to show why they are still of relevance to us even now.

The UNISON Union Learning Representatives (ULR) toolkit, Learning for everyone, aimed at ‘developing informal learning at work’ explains how ULRs and members can run history workshops, providing links to archives and further information alongside a suggested exercise that draws on the Peterloo Massacre. The use of historical resources also features in some of UNISON's Political Education courses. These include historical timelines such as the poster Boom, Bust, Fight back! A Short History of Booms, Crises and Public Spending.

DC said:

We are currently developing a member education project which is intended to use the history of UNISON’s founding unions and their archive resources to help members develop research, communication, IT and campaigning skills.

This project, Our Union, Our Services, Our History, focuses on the history of the three unions that merged to form UNISON in 1993: NALGO, NUPE and COHSE. The project received positive feedback from members at the 2010 UNISON conference and seeks to build on the popular trend among members of exploring their family or local history which, as DC points out, often involves the labour movement.

The project’s aims are threefold:

To provide members with access to historical resources by opening up the archives of the founding unions and UNISON.

To run workshops and courses that will allow members to develop IT and communication skills (using the archive as a resource) with the aim of producing ‘outputs’ (reports for publication or presentations) that can be used in future campaigning or organising.

To enable members to make links between the history of UNISON and the challenges it faces in the current political and economic climate, enabling members to make use of their outputs to get involved in campaigning and decision making.

In terms of resources the project makes use of the extensive UNISON archive and has links with the Modern Records Centre at Warwick University, the Working Class Movement Library in Salford and the TUC Library Collections at London Metropolitan University.

One of the ways in which UNISON and H&P could work together would be through the provision of training in historical research methods. Despite high levels of education among the UNISON membership, DC said that many members do not feel they have the skills required to conduct such research.

Other areas of interest to UNISON that a historian could assist with include the establishment of the welfare state, occupational pensions, campaigns, women members and issues, BME members and other under-represented groups (e.g. LGBT).

6. Elements of a new model

The website of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) encapsulates one of the major issues identified in this research project:

When explaining the benefits of trade union membership to potential members, many reps have reported back the lack of understanding of what trade unions are and how they originated.

Our reps are trained to develop skills to deal with workplace issues in the context of the current social, economic and political climate. There is often little opportunity to relate this to the social, economic and political context of the past. The lessons derived from the history of the labour and trade union movement are therefore, arguably being lost. (www.pcs.org.uk)

The PCS has recognised a key benefit of trade union history education: in the process of organising and recruiting new members a historical perspective can provide important context. Indeed, some respondents said they use history talks or workshops at union events to engage members and encourage them to become more active.

However, for historians to be involved in new or existing union education provision, a clear understanding of union objectives would be needed and, crucially, how history could help meet those goals. During these discussions the researchers identified four key objectives for unions: organising, negotiating, efficiency and campaigning – on which the History & Policy Trade Union Forum Education Project should also focus.

Furthermore, particularly to justify any financial outlay, it would be imperative that historians produce concrete outputs, such as briefing papers to inform policy making, teaching materials, newsletter or website articles, and other background materials that could be used in campaigning.

Bearing these priorities in mind, increasing the connections between university historians and trade unionists might be considered as a form of ‘virtual college’: instead of attracting union members to an existing academic institution, or setting up a new one, historians could use the facilities and spaces provided by unions across the country to set up a range of activities, such as

Workshops and talks with historical angles on contemporary topics of interest to trade unionists, both at national conferences and at regional centres

Training courses on historical research methods for union members

PhD students at a range of universities working closely with particular unions, researching their archives and helping to develop a historical dimension in education provision for members.

7. Recommendations

In light of UNISON's project, Our Union, Our Services, Our History, History & Policy could pilot the model outlined above. History & Policy Trade Union Forum historians could build on discussions with Donald Cameron, Membership Development Officer at UNISON, and jointly identify an aspect of UNISON’s contemporary history for exploration.

An H&P historian could research and write a short paper, making use of the UNISON archive if appropriate, with the joint aims of incorporating the research into membership publications, in a workshop for members (that would enable them to understand how to conduct such research themselves) and in producing outputs that could be used by UNISON in the broader education and membership development programme. The paper could form the focus of a fringe event at UNISON conferences.

If this work is successful History & Policy could seek a PhD student to work with UNISON for a fixed period, making use of its archives and alongside their own research, produce short briefing papers on historical topics that could be used in workshops, campaigns and as organising tools, as discussed above.