Back to school for South Lanarkshire union activists

by Jane Aitchison

South Lanarkshire UNISON activists, Tom Clark, Loraine Barkley, and Charlie McLeish have been taking Unions into Schools, raising young people's awareness of the role that trade unions will have to play in their future working lives.

Hitting on health and safety, the minimum wage and union representation and negotiation, the relevance of trade unions today couldn't be made any clearer. Unions into Schools is part of the Scottish Executive's Enterprise in Education agenda.

The STUC has co-ordinated and managed the programme of school visits for participants from a number of different unions, including UNISON.

Tom Clark said, "A few months back, I noticed an article looking for activists to train for the Unions into School programme. Myself, Loraine and Charlie all signed up and duly did the training. That was the easy bit. We then had the "pleasure" of trying to talk to a group of S4, S5 ad S6 pupils."

"However, having now visited around a dozen schools, I can say it has been a pleasure. Apart from one exception, it has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience."

"Whilst I expected classes of screaming weans, we have found pleasant, articulate and knowledgeable young adults. Whilst this session is now ended we intend to restart in the autumn with the new school year. We're looking forward to it."

Linda Henry, a UNISON Shop Steward from Edinburgh participated in visit to Leith Academy

Terry Anderson, STUC Union and Community Development Officer said "I have to say that the help of UNISON reps was invaluable. Tom Clark and Loraine Barkley have helped enormously in co-ordinating visits and helping to assist new reps, and Tom participated in one of the very first visits. Loraine has also assisted in the statistical evaluation of the schools project, which will be useful for taking to Scottish Executive".

"Charlie McLeish has brought a lot of Health and Safety experience to the project."

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