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ANXIETY ABOUT THE FUTURE effect of globalisation on the economy has brought Danish employers, unions and government together in the cause of greater training and education on the job. In a way familiar in the UK the debate on the future shape of work assumes that developed countries cannot compete on low skill, low cost labour but need to have an educated, high skill work force. The new, tripartite committee will overhaul the entire education system but on the question of how it is to be financed the Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, is encouraging unions to use negotiations to demand more training rather than higher wages.
There is some precedent in Denmark for collective bargaining to range more widely. In the 1990s the social partners managed to negotiate occupational pension schemes, which covered nearly all groups of workers who had prevously been excluded. As a result the country is thought to have avoided the 'pensions time bomb' which faces many others due to demographic shifts. The government feels that the 'globalisation time bomb' can be defused in the same way. Recent figures that show that 25% of Danish workers have had no training over the past year served to make this the hot topic of 2004.
Whilst the initiative met with a mainly positive response, the Danish TUC (LO) was worried that the government was shirking its own responsibilities in leaving everything to the social partners. It countered with its own ten point plan which includes a right to 6 months of training for every 5 years in a job and 4 hours of educational counselling a year. Employers responded by claiming that 200,000 workers a year would be drained from the labour market under this plan and that Denmark already had the best record in the world on investment in training. Now the social partners will draw up a joint report on the challenges of globalisation in general.
In mid-October the Industrial Relations department at South Thames College in south London was relaunched as the Trade Union Studies Centre. With an increase of over 66% in numbers of students attending and courses run, and a branching out into subjects such as French and Spanish for trade unionists, it was felt that the new name better reflected the extended work of the unit. As well as standard reps., and health and safety courses the centre has seen customised teaching for individual trade unions expand, the chief clients being BECTU, CWU, USDAW, and the rail unions. The European Review was lucky enough to witness the event which over 60 students and lecturers attended. Speakers included Sue Rimmer, principal of the college, Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, Rob Hancock from the TUC Education department and Geoff Martin of Battersea Wandsworth Trades Union Council.
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South Thames College principal Sue Rimmer shares a joke with a student at the relaunch |
South Thames College Trade Union Studies Centre | ||||
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Courses for Spring 2005 | ||||
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Course title |
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Start date |
End date | |
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Union Reps. |
Stage 1 |
10 Mondays: |
January 17 |
March 21 |
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Stage 2 |
10 Wednesdays: |
January 19 |
March 23 | |
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Health & Safety |
Stage 1 |
10 Tuesdays: |
January 18 |
March 22 |
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Stage 2 |
10 Thursdays: |
January 13 |
March 17 | |
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Union Learning Reps. |
10 Fridays: |
January 14 |
February 11 | |
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Stress at Work |
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March 9 & 10 | ||
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Employment Law |
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March 2, 3 & 4 | ||
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Organising & Campaigning |
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Can be arranged on dates to suit union | ||
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If you are interested in enrolling please e-mail Graham Petersen | |
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You will find more details of each course at: |
http://www.south-thames.ac.uk/searchresults.asp? |
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