Activist Learning and Development within Energy

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Conference
2017 Energy Service Group Conference
Date
23 February 2017
Decision
Carried

Many lay activists have benefited over the years from specific utility linked training courses supported by UNISON’s learning and Organising team. The most well known is the Negotiating Skills course for workers in a Utility setting. We have also had the opportunity in the past two years to do a specific pay bargaining course for senior lay activists in the Energy sector.

These national courses have been well received and make up for a significant deficit in Utility specific training in the regions largely down to numbers and scale. Many courses only have a particular public sector focus which is very different from the world in which Energy members work and therefore their needs are different and should be recognised as is the case today.

Conference is therefore concerned at changes which may significantly impact on the viability of the Utility specific training supported by LAOS. These changes concern the level of fee increase charged to branches which has increased from £80 per course per participant to a new fee of £125 per day per delegate.

This conference therefore call on the Energy SGE:

To make further representation to LAOS to argue for additional Utility specific national activists training and that the fees are reconsidered.

To ensure that it is recognised that energy members contribute significantly to the financial income of the union and having access to some specific training should not be seen as an excess.

To continue to support capacity building amongst lay activists within the energy sector to help them be equipped with the rights skills to negotiate directly with leading industrial employers.

Ask that the Energy Service Group updates branches on progress on this important matter