EC Meeting Papers March 2018

12. A first day cover is in preparation for the Isle of Man Post office, highlighting the centenary of the 1918 Bread Strike.

13. The numbers for the Youth Festival are building steadily, with 20 already registered and another 2 applications pending.

14. The programme for the Tolpuddle Festival has been finalised with SW TUC. GFTU will help facilitate the popular annual Radical History School and a new children’s cinema tent (& programme of films).

15. The Union Building Conference, held at the Yarnfield Centre on 23-25 February, was a success for the GFTU; with 73 registered delegates from affiliated unions, full workshops and well received contributions from the Shadow Chancellor (via podcast); Shout Out UK; and Lloyd Rusell-Moyle MP. Feedback from affiliates has been extremely positive, with the only question mark being the absence of a specific Arts strand.

16. Work has begun on preparing the new cycle of core courses for affiliates, for 2018-19, with ideas and themes discussed at the Union Building Conference. Affiliate buy-in is considered essential.

17. The details of the Level 4 ‘Learning to Teach in Trade Union Education’ and Level 7 ‘Certificate in the Principles & Practice of Trade Union Education have now been finalised, through the help and support of Alan Smith at Leeds Beckett and Mike Seal at Newman College. The first scheduled course for Level 4 will be held on 13-14 & 19 April 2018; and the first for Level 7 will begin in February 2019. Take-up for the Level 4 course has been good, with 16 places promised.

18. The following courses have run:

5-9 February Shop Stewards Stage 1 (Northern College) – 16 applicants all BFAWU (1 no show)

7 February Promoting your Organisation on Social Media (BASW Office, Birmingham) – 12 attendees all SWU. 1-2 March Organising to Win (TSSA Customised) – 11 applicants all TSSA (5 no shows due to snow and bad weather).

6-8 March Reps Intro (TSSA Customised) – 16 applicants all TSSA (3 cancelled)

19. The Sunday dayschools continue to fail to attract interest and applicants. Similarly, Core Courses on ‘Campaigning’; ‘Debunking Economics’; ‘Collective Labour Law’; ‘Interview Skills’; and ‘A Manifesto for Labour Law’ did not run due to a lack of applicants.

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