SPT Glasgow – November 2010
Unite Learning Organiser Pat McIlvogue kindly
introduced me to a couple of bright and cheerful reps. We were at
the Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) depot in Glasgow. The 2
guys concerned were ULR Brian Stewart and Senior rep Ian Findlay.
They are both Technical craftsmen working on keeping the signalling
equipment on Glasgow's transport system in good order.
Brian is into football and running in his free
time. He has a couple of twin girls who are now two years old. They
keep him and his partner really busy. Before they were born
Brian was adamant that “they will fit into my life - nothing
will change.” Of course the opposite was true, giving Brian yet
another learning experience. Ian has 2 grown up boys and a
granddaughter who can wrap him around her little finger. When he
can grab some free time he follows the horses and Rangers FC.
Brian became a ULR around 3 years ago when the
convenor approached and asked him to volunteer. Ian was already a
rep and on the union steering committee. He was involved in
negotiating learning agreements with SPT. Ian decided to do the ULR
training to see what it was about, caught the bug and is also a
ULR.
In SPT there are approximately 300 Unite
members, mainly engineers, supported by 6 ULRs. The guys told me
that the biggest buzz that they get from being a ULR is when they
see a colleague who has had practically nothing to do with formal
learning go on to bigger and better training. Brian said “You start
to see a pattern. People come in to do a small course, maybe IT,
with their friends. It is almost a social thing. They find out that
it is very different from what they expected with their memories of
school-days. They find that they enjoy the learning and the
achievement. You then see them move on to vocational training and
get into the habit of learning about something new and of interest
to them.”
Ian said one of his best moments was when the
team were given the Helen Dowie award for their work running
workplace learning. Indeed he told the Scottish First Minister Alec
Salmond in no uncertain terms “(go away).....we're keeping this”
when receiving the Helen Dowie trophy.
The future for this team is not going to be
any less busy. There are lots of changes in company personnel at
all levels. To help keep the skills up to date for all, they are in
the process of negotiating arrangements for 50-50 paid time off for
agreed training. This is an example being taken up by ULRs up and
down the country as a stepping stone to full time off for
training.
Ian Scott
Learning Development coordinator.
Unite the Union
