Education and Organising programme 2010 - Zone 3

You should leave a six month gap before entering this zone.

Experience can be gained through buddying a more experienced rep or your senior/regional (Irish) organiser.

Moving through Zone 3:

 Industrial relations reps need to complete employment contracts, Dealing with members issues, Advanced organising skills, Equalities: law and organising and Public speaking.
 Health and safety reps need to attend the Moving issues forward, Advanced organising skills, Equalities: law and organising, Union inspection notices and Safety committees.
 Union learning reps will also undertake Union Learning - organising for learners into high education, Skills for Life and learner support (IAG) combined module as well as Advanced organising skills and Equaliites: law and organising.

Employment contracts and the law
An understanding of terms and conditions is crucial to the representation of members in casework. This two-day course will explore how terms and conditions are derived and affected by statute, collective agreements and custom and practice.

Industrial relations reps

Dealing with members’ issues
This three-day course aims to build on and develop skills and knowledge gained through Zones 1 and 2; reinforcing communication skills, and covering grievance and disciplinary procedures, and your role in greater depth.

London Underground reps
This course is specific to London Underground reps and aims to explore in detail the rep’s role when dealing with casework, the internal machinery, referrals and organising around members’ issues.

Health and Safety reps

Health and safety: moving issues forward
Reinforcing skills and knowledge gained through Zones 1 and 2, this three-day course will move to develop other areas of health and safety regulations including the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (known as ROGS).

London Underground reps
This course is specific to London Underground providing reps with skills and knowledge to develop the health and safety role to a higher level.

Union Inspection Notices (UIN)
This is a one-day course organised for safety reps. The course will revisit regulatory rights and introduce the role of UIN’s and how they can be used and incorporated into workplace and company-wide use.

Safety Committees
This one-day course will look at the rights of health and safety reps under Regulation 9 of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations (1977) and your collective agreements. It will allow you to explore how they should work and how their operation can be used to improve and secure the health, safety and welfare of TSSA members.

Union learning reps

Union learning - organising for learners into higher education
This two-day course aims to provide ULRs with the practical skills and knowledge to support members who may want to participate in higher education. It looks at what funding issues exist, how and what to negotiate with employers on access to higher education and identifies strategies for organising around such learning in the workplace.

Skills for life and learner support (IAG) combiuned module
This combined module has been set up to ensure that ULRs will build on the skills and knowledge gained through Zones 1 and 2 in a way that makes it easier for them to develop both of these areas. It will enhance awareness of members’ issues on literacy, numeracy, computer and English for speakers of other languages and discuss how ULRs can use these issues to organise in their company. It will also develop the knowledge, skills and techniques of ULRs offering information, advice and support to colleagues around learning.

Equalities: law and organising
This two-day course will reinforce existing understandings of workplace equality and how the promotion of equalities can strengthen the TSSA and safeguard TSSA members. This course will explore the development of stereotypes, identify legislation and methods for promoting workplace equality.

Public speaking
A two-day course which gives the opportunity to develop public speaking techniques while increasing confidence and delivering the skills to inform and encourage member support.

Advanced organising skills
This is a two-day course that aims to incorporate the workplace activities of the Zone 2 organising course, and looks to explore and remedy barriers to involvement while reinforcing skills with additional techniques.