Bargaining for Skills with unionlearn

Union Development briefing note June 2011
Kirsi Kekki, Bargaining for Skills Officer

Learning and skills has been an incredibly successful area for unions over the last 15 years, but in difficult times it needs a real push to get to the top of the bargaining agenda.

Unions have wrested important concessions from employers around chances to improve skills for life or progress to higher levels of learning, and negotiation has underpinned Union Learning Reps' (ULRs) work in guiding and supporting their colleagues' workplace learning.

Research into employer-union bargaining has shown just how important learning agreements can be in securing funding, time off, skills development and new qualifications for learners, and in providing the time and facilities for ULRs to carry out their amazing work. Turning skills into a formal part of the bargaining process ensures fair access for all members, and even helps employers understand both their role and that of the union in supporting the progress of everyone involved in the learning process.

Despite this, persuading employers to enter into formal arrangements is never easy, and when trying to do so finding the necessary support is a key to success. This is why unionlearn is working with unions to develop and provide help and advice around making a strong case to employers and securing more and better learning agreements.

Unionlearn's 'Bargaining for Skills' support for unions includes:

• Explain the various areas of learning which may be relevant for bargaining, considering the workforce and union
• Advice on which areas of learning unions may wish to consider as priorities for bargaining
• Help with any technicalities as the skills system can seem complex
• Help draft the arguments needed to persuade employers
• Collect and make available to unions examples of agreements with other employers
• Produce a menu of model agreements from which unions can select what suits their needs and adapt as they see fit

The negotiating areas of learning agreements can include for instance:

• Time off for learning
• Persuading employers to invest more money in staff training and development, particularly targeting underrepresented sections of the workforce
• Co-investment in learning and increasing employer investment
• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
• A minimum level of qualifications to all staff
• Setting up and supporting learning centres
• Access to independent career advice
• Employer bursaries for learning
• Persuading employers to create more good quality apprenticeships
• Union Learning Reps and their facilities

A sizable part of Bargaining for Skills Officer's role will be to collect, disseminate and share information and best practice to build a solid support base for negotiating officers and Union Learning Reps. This will include written briefings and seminars for union officers, learning project staff, ULRs and others negotiating in learning and skills and influencing the agenda.

Further information: Kirsi Kekki, Bargaining for Skills Officer

e: kkekki@tuc.org.uk, t: 020 7079 6953, m: 07917 797150

Briefing document (500 words) issued 29 Jun 2011

Engaging employers - Negotiator's guide for Bargaining for Skills
27 February 2012

Derby College sign learning agreement
6 October 2010

Case study; The Benefits of Partnership Working Airsprung Beds
17 May 2010

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Email ulweb@tuc.org.uk

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