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GFTU Celebrating 120 years of support The General Federation he Napo probation staffs union has referred to it as “a sort of of Trade Unions is TUC for smaller, specialist celebrating its 120th Tunions”. Yet while the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) did anniversary this year. indeed become the champion of smaller Labour Research looks and more specialist trade unions in the middle of the 20th century, these days, at its history, the unions of any size, whether TUC-affili- support it offers to ated or not, are eligible to apply for GFTU membership. The BFAWU’s Sarah Woolley, one of the unions today and its Historian Alice Prochaska, former union officials developed through the GFTU plans for new projects principal of Somerville College Oxford and a trustee of the GFTU Educational thesis on the history of the GFTU. She and services. Trust, wrote the first history of the GFTU explained how its founders fought to to 1980. She told a reception held earlier change the world of work they experi- this year to mark the anniversary how enced — one of “child labour, impossible the TUC voted it into existence in 1899. conditions and unfair wages”. TUC founders including Tom Mann, She also highlighted its campaign for Ben Tillett and Pete Curran enthusiasti- adequate pay for soldiers and sailors cally promoted the idea of “forging a during the First World War and for the national and international fighting welfare of serviceman. force”. Its motto was Unity is Strength and its main objective was to have a International national organisation with a strike fund Its first two decades, she says, saw the that affiliated unions could draw upon organisation “sit side by side with the TUC during disputes. and the Labour Party, as they repre- “It built up funds to protect workers sented over a million workers and confi- in struggle after engineering employers dently took up the role of representing locked out workers and starved them British trade unionism on the interna- back to work in the 1890s,” GFTU general tional scene”. The GFTU has always had secretary Doug Nicholls told Labour an international focus — a focus that Research. He said: “The GFTU pooled remains today (see box on page 17) — and, union resources to provide a humungous until 1919, it undertook all the interna- strike fund.” tional work of the trade union movement. And its role in administering health Labour Party and life insurance led to expertise in For some time, the GFTU, TUC and health and safety issues. For example, it Labour Party predecessor the Labour successfully campaigned for better Representation Committee worked working conditions in hat-making and together on a joint board. According to the potteries. Nicholls: “The GFTU and TUC were the Today, the federation supports both main forces sustaining dialogue between specialist unions and the specialist sec- the trade unions and Labour Party in the tions of larger general unions. Affiliates early days.” range in size from two of the largest University of Wolverhampton PhD TUC-affiliated unions, the GMB general researcher Edda Nicolson is writing her union and the PCS civil service union, to 16 LABOUR RESEARCH SEPTEMBER 2019 GFTU ment? Why go to a commercial hotel when you could have ours? Why go to a London-based accountancy firm when we can do accountancy and audit?’” Surpluses generated by unions using Quorn Grange for overnight stays, meet- ings and conferences go straight into providing what Nicholls describes as a unique education programme. Since the 1970s, GFTU education, which now includes digital and online learning, has always been free to members. Empowerment “Bringing together trade unionists from different unions in a learning environ- ment is about empowerment and learning from each other, and the learning tech- niques we ask tutors to use deploy the best of the informal education methods,” Nicholls said. He said the GFTU also sends many trade unionists to Ruskin College (set up in 1899 as a workers’ college), to get their full education. “For many workers, all their post-16 education has come from the GFTU.” For the newest affiliate, the Pharma- JOHN HARRIS (REPORTDIGITAL.CO.UK) cists Defence Association Union (PDAU), one of the newest and smallest TUC financial services; events management; the GFTU training programme was a key affiliates, the AEU artists’ union. personnel and HR management; and the rationale for joining. The union fought an GFTU services include providing affil- Quorn Grange Hotel, the hotel and con- epic eight-year battle for the right to iates with research, campaigning and ference centre in Leicestershire owned collectively bargain on behalf of pharma- press support, and providing evidence by the GTFU’s Education Trust. cists at high street chemist Boots, finally and support in negotiations as well as The federation wanted to “create winning in March 2019 with a 92.4% vote education – training courses, day schools champagne provision at lemonade prices in favour of the union. It affiliated to the and study seminars – that is free to and attract small commissions into the GFTU in February. union members. educational trust to sustain free educa- PDAU national officer Paul Day It has funded a schools project, Shout tion for affiliates,” said Nicholls. explained: “We could have got trainers Out, to “inject political and trade union “It’s important to say that we have to deliver training in house, but we think awareness back into schools”. The GFTU taken money out of the money markets it’s important for our members to be says that this follows “the deliberate into an internal social enterprise and exposed to activists from other unions removal of youth work from young peo- cooperative,” he added. to get a wider perspective. ple’s lives and the decline of citizenship “Affiliated unions are buying into “It’s not just about training and skills education and community organisations”. quality services at a discount and, by but also mindset and gaining an under- In 2015, at its biennial general council doing that, helping us to provide free standing of the trade union movement. meeting (BGCM), the GFTU adopted a trade union education.” It’s an opportunity to talk to peers and policy of providing new? mutually bene- “We are saying to unions: ‘Why go to share information.” ficial? services to affiliates across a the commercial market and assist private broad range of areas. These services profit and investment bankers when you Bespoke training include back office support, including could help the GFTU to build the move- The GFTU has delivered bespoke training for PDAU officials and reps, with more in the pipeline, and an official is taking part n INTERNATIONAL WORK in its management development pro- The GFTU has It elected two “Enabling unions to gramme. The training programme established solidarity younger members to make international includes professional development for all with workers in go on a study visit to links is an important categories of union official and aims to countries including Venezuela, following part of the GFTU’s help unions manage more professionally. Cuba, Palestine, an earlier study visit work,” said GFTU The federation also delivers trade Venezuela and, more to Poland, and it has general secretary union education to GMB activists after recently, with the helped trade union Doug Nicholls, who they have undergone the union’s own Kurdish people. Its friends of Vietnam added that induction and other training. arts and cultural work re-establish links with international GMB national project director Colin has included organising the Vietnamese questions are on every Kirkham told Labour Research that this a major Kurdish General Confederation GFTU executive allows GMB activists to mix with activists cultural festival. of Labour. committee agenda. from other unions and “to get a different SEPTEMBER 2019 LABOUR RESEARCH 17 GFTU perspective, which is very useful”. He added: “It gives them the opportunity to n DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION broaden their knowledge, work together BFAWU foodworkers’ “At that time, I organise future events and contrast our model for organising union regional wasn’t even on the and introduce elements against other union organising models.” organiser Sarah BFAWU executive including Banner GMB reps also access TUC education Woolley negotiates committee,” she told Theatre productions courses, although Kirkham believes the with bakery company Labour Research. “I and spoken word poet GFTU training programme offers some- Greggs at national was a young rep, still performances. thing extra and innovative. level and leads on working for Greggs, Others involved in environmental issues and was surrounded by this group included Neurodiversity and climate change in general secretaries. Rachel Harrison, who “They explore other dimensions and the union. But sat around that is now a national make a more rounded rep,” he added, She attended her table you are treated organiser for the GMB pointing to courses such as neurodiver- first GFTU biennial as an equal.” general union, and sity and mental health which, he says, general council She attended the Deanne Ferguson, the GFTU offered long before other meeting after taking GFTU young members’ currently a GMB union organisations. part in a BFAWU weekend and became regional organiser and The campaigning courses offer reps young members’ part of the organising recently selected to the chance to “think outside the box”. He forum. She was then group for the GFTU fight the key marginal said: “Many reps like the fact that elected to an youth festival, now seat of Morley and courses are residential — either at Quorn equalities seat on the known as the young Outwood in Wakefield Grange in Leicestershire or at Northern GFTU executive members’ development for Labour at the next College in Yorkshire.” committee.

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