• BPIF U-turn on training
• GPMU Greater London Region Branch Training Centre Opens

• Member Awarded by BPIF

• Printers Qualify Online

BPIF U-turn on training

The GPMU has attacked the print employers for arguing that training should not be added to the colective bargaining agenda.

In May, the British Printing Industries Federation joined the GPMU at Vision in Print, where key players from every corner of the print sector pledged their support to lead the industry into the future.

Now the GPMU has slated the organisation for reneging on those promises in a statement welcoming the government's exclusion of training from the collective bargaining arena.

This meant that "a key issue for the printing industry does not become a bargaining chip in the future," according to the employers, to the outrage of the union.

"We have attended many meetings where the BPIF has stressed the high importance of the training and skills agenda for our industry, but here they are saying that they're pleased that training has been ruled out of the collective bargaining agenda," stormed deputy general secretary Tony Burke.

"We are staggered at their comment on training being used as a bargaining chip: it is far from the truth and the government and our members know our commitment to training and skills." In a hard-hitting response to a BPIF press release on the government's review of the Employment Relations Act, Tony also takes the BPIF to task over a number of issues.

He is furious at the BPIF for backing the government's refusal to extend statutory recognition to companies with fewer than 21 employees.

"It's a disgrace to exclude some five million workers from the right to have their pay and conditions determined by collective bargaining purely on the arbitrary basis of the size of the company they work for," he says.

"The exclusion has a discriminatory impact as large numbers of women, black and young workers work in small companies," Tony points out.

Employment tribunal statistics show that the majority of cases coming before them are from small companies.

"The GPMU has recognition with hundreds of small businesses, many of them BPIF members.

We have led the campaign to extend employment rights to small companies and you can guarantee we will continue to do so," he says.

GPMU Greater London Region Branch Training Centre Opens

The Gt. London Region Branch Training Centre, located at the Branch Offices at The Oval in London was opened on Thursday, 17th March by TUC Deputy General Secretary, Francis O'Grady, GPMU National Officer, Chris Harding and MP Gerry Sutcliffe.

Francis O'Grady congratulated the Branch on the Centre which she said is a credit to the Branch and the GPMU. She recognised that the Branch facility would not only benefit GPMU members but also the local community with regard to the access to learn new skills.

Chris Harding, in congratulating the Branch, said that they now had a Learning Centre that Branch members could be proud of. The funding received from the Union Learning Fund has provided resources which will help Branch members gain new skills. He believes that the centre and the new legislation regarding Union Learner Reps will encourage even more members to come forward and avail themselves of the training opportunities on offer.

Gerry Sutcliffe confirmed that the new legislation was evidence of the Government's commitment to help people develop their skills and that the Government was making a difference to peoples' lives in this area.

Date added: 15/04/03

Member Awarded by BPIF

Gt. Manchester GPMU member Lee Taylor employed at Trafford Park Printers has received the BPIF Apprentice of the Year Award at the recent BPIF Excellence Awards.

The Award was presented to Lee by PGC NTO Chief Executive, Richard Beamish.

Date added: 02/04/03

Printers Qualify Online

GPMU Printers, Simon Harrison and Tony Newsholme, employed at York & County Press, part of the Newsquest (Gannet UK) Group, have become the first newspaper printers in the country to gain online qualification when they achieved their NVQ Level 2 passes at the end of 2002.

In fact Simon and Tony made such good progress that they completed their qualifications within 10 months. Additionally, Simon was awarded "learner of the year" status.

Following Simon and Tony's example, almost all of the other 30 printers at York & County Press have signed up to learn, they accessed the on-line course on computers in the company's training suite during down times in the print cycle and also keep up with their course work on PC's at home or the local library.

Date updated: 10/03/03