Working For Unions

Who is it for?
This is a foundational course for new union staff/officials/officers/administrators.

Aims
The course covers essential topics that underpin and contextualize working within the contemporary union movement, including:

Why unions are important to workers;
The critical role unions play in today’s society;
How our vision and values support our actions;
Union history, achieving better communities;
Contemporary union culture, understanding our work environment;
Effective communications skills.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this course, participants will be able to:

Explain why unions are important to workers;
Describe the role of unions in building power for working people;
Describe the power of collective action to create change;
Outline how communities are stronger because of union achievements;
Identify some of our key values, understand where they come from and how they help shape our lives and impact on the work we do within the union movement;
Describe the range of different rights workers have and where these have come from. Participants should gain an appreciation of the role of the union movement in establishing, upholding and building on these rights;
Describe union structures and roles, and detail various aspects and influences connected to a global perspective of union work;
Recognise the importance of effective communication in all union work and demonstrate foundational communication skills such as listening and questioning skills;
Apply strategies to deal with difficult behavior.