Employers and unions are to work together in Britain on
schemes that will give more of Britain’s 200,000 shop stewards
a course of training in their workshop duties. The British
Employers’ Confederation, which represents employers’ or-
ganizations in all the important and privately-owned indust-
ries, has just come to an agreement with the Trades Union
Congress, representing same 180 unions with 8,000,000 mem-
bers, that will help to overcome one of the biggest handicaps
to present training schemes — lack of time. The intention is
that from now on more of the courses shall be run during

working hours.

The T.U.C. is reminding its
unions of the need to expand
training. The B.E.C. is advis-
ing its organizations to con-
sider giving paid leave to shop
stewards to take the training.

Not that anybody believes
that all the keys to better in-
dustrial relationships at the
workshop level will be found
in the class-room. Indeed, al-
most everybody - will agree
that experience is the best
teacher. But, as a T.U.C.
chairman put it not so long
ago, experience is not the only
teacher, and it is certainly not
the quickest.

The high degree of mobility
of labour and the rapid expan-
sion of some British indus-
tries mean that there is quite
a high “turnover” of stew-
ards, some of whom inevitably
have only an extremely limit-
ed experience of their present
industry and of their union’s
work. And a lot of mistakes,

some of them costly in lost

temper, lost wages and lost

output, can be made while a
newly-elected steward is
learning the drill for dealing
with the variety of tricky sit-
uations that can arise in the
workshop.

The moves now being made

by the T.U.C. and the B.E.C.

are aimed at helping the well-
meaning steward who knows
that he has not mastered the
detail of all the agreements
that affect him and his work-
mates, and has some gaps in
his knowledge of the rules
and procedures of his own
union and the methods it has
laid down for dealing with
grievances and problems that
he is expected to handle from
day to day without much time
for reflection or for consulta-
tion with some distant author-

ity.

“There is no pay for shop
stewards. Indeed, some of

them sacrifice opportunities
for extra earning from piece-
werk and other forms of in-
centive payments while they
are discussing their work-
mates’ problems with manage-
ment. Often enough there are
union meetings to attend out-
side working hours, so that
not much time is left to the
steward for study of the
system of industrial relations
he is engaged in operating.

Hence, in the joint state-
ment issued by the two central
organisations in industry,
unions are encouraged to con-
sider opening discussions
with employers on arrange-
ments for stewards to be
given time off from work with
pay to attend courses of train-
ing. Employers are recom-
mended to consider extending
their co-operation with unions
and educational bodies to pro-
vide more courses for which
stewards would be given paid
leave to attend.

Training is primarily a
trade union task, the T.U.C.
and B.E.C. explain, but where
release with pay is arranged
the employer should be con-
sulted about the syllabus.
Realistic training, the joint
statement adds, must be based
on the fact that a worker act-
ing as steward is a union
officer and the aim of training
must therefore be to assist
him to carry out his functions

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esponsible officer, fully

asar
understanding these  func-

tions and the union policies
that are relevant to them. |

A variety of courses is
needed _ because circum-
stances and practices differ
from industry to industry and
from union to union. For
stewards whose union exper-
ience is brief, “induction”
courses are needed to provide
background information on
the structure, work and gen-
eral policies of the union. In
a most advanced course col-
lective agreements and union
practices could be described
in greater detail.

Another useful form of
course would include role-
playing to familiarise stew-
ards with the techniques of
workshop negotiations and
perhaps to cultivate their
powers of self-expression, in
speech and writing, or to give
them practice in making the
arithmetical calculations for
which some forms of wage-
payment call. All these types
of courses are best run by
the unions themselves, al-
though the T.U.C. Education
Department stands ready to
assist unions to develop their
training schemes.

The statement goes on to
list a range of subjects that
should be included in special-
ised training. These include
occupational health, work
study and systems of wage-
payment as well as manage-
ment policies, relations be-
tween unions and the organ-
isation and economics of an
industry.

The T.U.C. itself already
runs one-week and two-week
courses of this character to
which any of its unions may
send students without cost.
Courses on what is called
“general” training are an-

context.

Believing that course
which include social st
bring about a better under-
standing of industrial prob-
lems and that more of them —
could lead to a marked im-
provement in industrial re- —
lations, the T.U.C. and B.E.C, —
make the point that some of
the technical colleges and ex-
tra-mural departments of un-
iversities could, by co-oper-
ation between unions and em-
ployers, be enlisted to help in
courses with a specialised or
social content.

There is a long tradition of
education of an academic and
liberal character in the Brit-
ish trade union movement,
and neither the T.U.C. nor
the B.E.C. wants it to be dis-
turbed by the new emphasis _
on training for union office,
which is seen as a supplement
not an alternative.

Indeed, the statement
issued by the two bodies, be-
fore setting out the proced-
ures for the arrangement of
“time - off” training courses
and announcing that a small
joint committee will have a
general oversight of this, says
specifically:

“It is neither possible nor
desirable for the trade unions
to develop shop steward train-
ing in isolation from the gen-
eral educational and training
services arranged for their
voluntary officers and active
members. The T.U.C. and the
B.E.C. agree that these ser-
vices should be encouraged
and assisted wherever pos-
sible.”

Door Prize Winners
Of 1-417 Dance

Names of the winners of
the door prizes at the Wood-
workers’ Ball held by Local
1-417, IWA, during their re-
cent convention are as
follows:

Shotgun donated by Frank
Capostinsky; won by L. Bout-
ger, Vavenby.

Camping outfit donated by
Kamloops Lumber Co.; won
by Ken Boyes, Malakwa.

Transister radio donated by
Celgar Ltd.; won by Fred
Thomson, Merritt.

Steelheading outfit donated
by Pondosa Lbr.; won by Jim
Green, N. Kamloops.

Gold Watch donated by
Savona Timber; won by Joe
Dellapenm, Revelstoke.

Mechanics Toolkit donated
by B.C. Interior Sawmills;
won by J. M. Walker, Sica-
mous.

Corning Ware set donated
by C.U.&C.; won by Dave
Pease, Vavenby.

Electric Frying pan and
Waffle ircn donated by Mer-
ritt-Diamond Mills Ltd.; won
by A. L. Bailey, Kamloops.

Legging boots donated by
Pierre Paris & Sons; won by
J. A. Gush, Monte Lake.

Electric kettle donated by
Federated Co-operatives; won
by Mrs. H. Bourgesis, Monte
Lake.

CREDIT UNION DIRECTORY

IWA Credit Unions and other Credit Unions
supported by IWA Local Unions in B.C.

Alberni District Credit Union, Head Office: 211 A rt

Alberni, B.C. Alberni Branch: 280 Merrifield Py Sm BC.
IWA 1-217 Savings, Broadway & Quebec Streets, Vancouver 10.
IWA (NW.) Credit Union, Room 21, 774 Columbia Street, New

Westminster

Local 1-118, IWA (Victoria), 1114 Blanshard ictori
Chemainus & District Credit Union, Box 229, Cheeta am

curios ie Union, Box 952, Courtenay

earwater and District Savings and Credi i

Duncan & District Credit Union, Box 717, Doe aaah
Prince George & District, 1046 - 4th Avenue, Prince George
Nanaimo & District Credit Union, 499 Wallace St.. Nanaimo
Ladysmith & District Credit Union, Box 154, Ladysmith Bo.

Lumber Inspectors Credit Union, 315

Westminster, B.C.

>

Richmond Street, New |

Salmon Arm Credit Union, Shuswap Ave., Salmon Arm, I

United Labour Credit Union.

1475 East 43rd, Vancouver