From October 26-28, about 100 delegates from all regions will meet in Johannesburg to plan the future course of education. This arises out of a Numsa National Congress decision in 2004 to hold an education indaba (see full text of the resolution below).
On the first day, outsiders will give inputs on matters such as: what Numsa’s 4-year plan says about education; how to bring politics into education and the role of class struggle; what is on Cosatu’s education agenda; how do other trade unions across the world run their education programmes; how has Numsa’s own education programme evolved. These promise to sharpen the minds of delegates.
Commissions will then debate five different issues. (see below) Regions are also asked on September 24-25, to hold extended RECs or mini-regional education indabas. They are asked to debate the following issues in commissions at regional level and then take forward their ideas to the national indaba a month later.
Commission 1: Programme content and target groups
What should be covered in the education programme between now and 2008 – what should be national programmes, what should be regional activities, what kind of political education, what core skills are needed, what education can we provide for members, how can we build the organisation through education? What is offered by Cosatu and other service providers and how we can we link them into Numsa’s education programme?
Commission 2: Education methodologies
What methodologies are possible, which are the most effective for which type of education, how do we build in assessment tools to evaluate whether our education efforts have been effective?
Commission 3: Accrediting union education
What does accrediting union education require? What are the merits and demerits of taking this route?
Commission 4: Relations between internal union education and industrial training
Industrial training falls under the organising and collective bargaining department and is separate from education. In some unions, education and training are merged. Should Numsa continue with the current route of separating the two; if this is to continue are there certain responsibilities with regard to training that the education department should have? If the departments are to be merged, how would this work?
Commission 5: Education structures
Over the years, different education structures have evolved. In some regions they are active, in others they are not. How have they evolved, what is their role, are they effective? Community radio stations are working with labour and some Numsa staff/shop stewards are participating as DJs on these stations, Numsa writers exist across the union however they are coordinated from head office not from a local level. Should we bring radio activists and writers into education structures as some kind of media sub-committees, if yes, how?
What Congress resolved
That we reaffirm that we investigate the establishment of a Numsa Workers’ Training Centre.
The scope of workers’ education should include the theory of capitalism in all its forms [neo liberalism, globalisation, etc] and practical lessons/experiences we draw daily in our workplaces and communities.
Numsa should immediately after this congress call a national education indaba to look at the state of education in the union.
The indaba to include in its agenda the following items for debate:
Education and Training should be combined and fall under Education Department.
That the National Congress hereby gives the Indaba, through the NOBs, the authority to restructure the education unit. Such restructuring should include reintroducing the old structures (Nedcom) to run and supervise education activities across the Union.
Clear programmes of promoting access to learning through reputable and accredited institutions to promote equality between the female and male staff and prevention and unfair promotion.
The union should accelerate training of shop stewards and staff as well as our fellow workers.
The union must pay particular attention to training that would empower our shop stewards and worker leadership on agency shops and to play a more meaningful role in our pension/ provident funds.
Education must provide knowledge on workers’ rights, develop campaigns to defend those rights and improve the rights of workers and their families against exploitation of the capitalist system.
An Office Bearer at Local, and Regional Level should be allocated to Ledcom/ Redcom.
A campaign is launched to amend the LRA in particular for Office Bearer time-off.
Regarding REGIONAL SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES, each Region should draw up its own programme and it should be budgeted for in the National budget, and that the Regional Structures monitor and account accordingly to the national Union.
That NEDCOM/NESCO be re-established (an NOB, GS, Education Co-ordinator and 4 from the CC).
Develop a clear programme that includes reviewing methodologies, materials, service providers and to develop a mechanism to track down the learning cycles of participation in our courses.
Indicators be defined upfront to assess the impact of education that was provided.
Internal education must be fast-tracked.
Legal department to develop a four year programme of intensive training of a pool of shopstewards and organisers that would be used to accelerate training on legal matters.
That full-time shop stewards attend organisers forum and Cosatu organisers forum.
Maintain our last congress resolution on resources allocation.
The union must build the capacity of shop stewards to deal with training issues at a plant level. Skills development to be budgeted for by the education department.
The last Central Committee in 2005 to get a comprehensive report about implementation.