politics, organisation and education - dave spooner #iss14
DESCRIPTION
Dave Spooner of the Global Labour Institute talks about trends in international trade union education and organisingTRANSCRIPT
politics, organisation and education
Oscar Olsson
Paulo Friere
All education to be based on actual needs and experiences of workersAll workers have knowledge to bring to education
Active Learning
“The active learning approach to trade union training requires that courses should begin by drawing on the experience, skills, knowledge, attitudes and objectives of participants… through working collectively. As part of this process, participants are encouraged to apply the results of their course work to their local and/or industrial environment.” ILO Turin Centre, 1993
MEANWHILE…
Saul Alinsky
“The building of many mass power organizations to merge into a national popular power force cannot come without many organizers. Since organizations are created, in large part, by the organizer, we must find out what creates the organizer. This has been the major problem of my years of organizational experience: the finding of potential organizers and their training” Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, 1971
• Professional trained organising teams• Strategic targeting of employers and sectors• Time-limited campaigns• Apply leverage
ORGANIZING MODEL
Other US Unions
Change to Win
Coalition
UK
“ORGANISING ACADEMY”
DENMARK….
AUSTRALIA
Global Union Federations
“GLOBALORGANISING
ALLIANCE”
GERMANY
TRENDS?
• Increased investment into organising departments
• … but critical debate beginning in USA?• Adaptation of “new organising model” to local
industrial relations and political context• Decline in TU education?• Closure of union colleges?
SHOP STEWARD EDUCATION?
ORGANISER TRAINING?
“It is absolutely essential for our stewards and activists to be fully engaged in all aspects of organising, rather than separate Organising Units, To do this meaningfully they have to understand why companies do what they do, and how global capital works. If we maintain an insular, reactive approach, we will consistently lose” Jenny Formby, Unite the Union.