#BTColumn – Power in knowledge: Trade union education for workers

he World Organisation of Workers (WOW) describes trade union education as a “strategic tool for building strong, independent, and representative trade unions that can respond to the challenges of nowadays”. Addressing the importance of trade union education, WOW contends that it is critical to learn how to support and execute the primary tasks of trade union work in areas including trade union education, organising, workers’ rights, employment policies, social protection, labour relations/collective bargaining, and digitalisation of the economy.

 

Trade union education and training form the fundamental basis of trade union principles, objectives, and militancy, and are essential in organising the working class. This underscores the importance of trade unionists having an understanding of labour issues, being able to raise workers’ awareness of these issues, and developing the ability to influence others. Since the 1880s, the priorities of trade unions have been associated with the well-known three watchwords of “educate, agitate, and organise.” The significance of workers’ education lies in how it contributes to their understanding and development. Education and training are therefore invaluable to workers’ consciousness and advancement, bolstered by an effective medium of communication.

 

Most trade unionists would assert that it is through education and training that they acquire the knowledge and develop the skills necessary to represent and advocate on behalf of workers. Moreover, these tools are key to their effectiveness in the collective bargaining and negotiation process, the mobilisation of workers, and leading industrial or protest actions.

 

In the contemporary, digitally advanced world, characterised by artificial intelligence, upskilling is crucial if trade unionists are to meet the demands of an evolving society. This aligns with the view that trade union education should strengthen union activism by training members to play an active role in the union and enhancing their negotiation and organising skills, a recognition of the vital role trade unions play in capacity building.

 

Trade unions have a pivotal role in workers’ lifelong learning experience, necessitated by rapid workplace changes, including new technologies and evolving work systems. This requires an understanding of the shift from traditional work models to roles within the third sector or informal economy, each bringing new challenges.

 

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) acknowledges that the key to building trade union solidarity lies in trade union education, which “should contribute to a lifelong learning process of personal development, within the union and community, reinforcing democratic principles at all levels.”

 

The Education Policy was adopted at the Second World Conference on Trade Union Education held in 1994 in Elsinore, Denmark. Six major goals of the policy were outlined: building solidarity and democracy; developing strong, effective unions, especially in developing countries; influencing society; promoting equality; ensuring strategic approaches to union education; and enhancing union and workers’ education practices.

 

It is expected that many will agree that workers’ education aims to increase their awareness of their rights as workers, as well as their human and social rights. Additionally, it promotes an understanding of the importance of international and regional cooperation and trade agreements, raises awareness of trade union freedom, focuses on the living standards of impoverished and vulnerable workers, and encourages improved communication through new technologies.