UNION LEARNING AT FORT WILLIAM

22 An RMT AGM is always a special occasion with activists coming together from all over the country to take on the running of our union as its supreme governing body. This year the RMT Learning team organised a fringe meeting as part of the proceedings to familiarise delegates with the work carried out by union learning reps and to ensure that the benefits of the learning agenda is well understood. This is why RMT Learning has annually held ULR conferences, seminars for branch secretaries and attended grades conferences and advisory conferences in order to build an understanding of the work of ULRs and support for what they do. The meeting included a presentation about the learning agenda, case studies illustrating the benefits to members and a very interesting and robust question and answer session around ULRs within our union. The question and answer question was key. It was a chance for delegates to really ensure they understood ULRs and what the learning agenda can do for the members, and the union, as well as why employers would buy in. The Union Learning Fund (ULF) was set up in 1998 in response to a government report that highlighted the skills gap between the UK and the rest of Europe. It was felt that the people best placed to address the issue were workers themselves and in order to achieve this trade unions were asked to promote and support a new kind of workplace representative the Union Learning Representative (ULR). In 2002 ULRs, under the Employment Relations Act, gained statutory recognition. Since this time ULF supported projects, such as RMT Learning, have together trained 22,000 Union Learning Reps, covered over 700 workplaces and created more than three quarters of a million learning opportunities I became a ULR within my company South Eastern Trains, elected and supported by my branch, and not long after I obtained full time seconded release to work in the project. Over the years I have worked through one project after another, funded by the ULF, to raise awareness, persuade employers that staff development is worthwhile, recruit ULRs and generally support members to learn. Three years ago, RMT submitted a bid to set up the RMT Learning project with the help of ULF funding and, through running events in workplaces, RMT Learning has found solid support throughout the union. The RMT Learning Team who put on the fringe meeting were; Graham Chesters, Development Worker (North), John Dougherty Development Worker (North), Mike Sargent, Shipping Development Worker, and delegate Ivor Riddell Development Worker (South East). Thanks to fringe chair Peter Pinkney and all the many delegates and guests that attended. Mike Sargent of the RMT Union Learning Fund addressed a fringe meeting at AGM to explain the role it plays in the union UNION LEARNING AT FORT WILLIAM