ABSTRACT
During the Conservative government (1979-97) trade unions were systematically excluded from authoritative decision-making in the sphere of training, development and labour market policy. Since Labour came to power in 1997, the government has identified lifelong learning as providing ‘a new and modern role for trade unions’ (DfEE 1998). Although the policy discourse has identified trade unions as social partners in the life-long learning agenda, as yet there has been little formalisation of this role in the workplace or elsewhere. Initially, the government adopted a facilitative role, providing funding for trade union innovation through the DfEE/DfES’s Union Learning Fund.1 Effectively, this gave a boost to a number of developments which were already taking place in trade union practice in the workplace and allowed for experimentation and consolidation of models of working. Largely on the basis of this successful experience, from 2003, the government introduced a statutory entitlement for trade union learning representatives to have time-off to carry out their duties. Although they do not have rights to information and consultation on their employers’ training plan and individual employees do not have an entitlement to paid educational leave, this marked a significant step forward. A number of future developments, some originating from the European Union and others from within the UK, suggest that a broader statutory framework may be under consideration.
