Tracy Clarke, Women's Committee / Community
Conference,
I left school 30 year ago - not a qualification to my name - at 16 I joined the factory and thought that was it.
Never getting better, never going up in the world.
Being a union member, shop steward, executive committee member and the first woman president of Community has changed my life for the better but nothing more than Union Learn. Ten years ago something changed - the opportunities in my life were transformed - my horizon was set higher. I stand here today having qualifications in English, Math’s and Manufacturing. In two weeks time, I will have graduated a Institute of Leadership and Management course. All thanks to my union, the TUC and Government - all thanks to UnionLearn.
Not only have I seen Union Learn change my life, it has changed my workplace.
· 61 people in my factory have got NVQs now,
· 16 are studying for their basic maths and english as we speak,
· 6 people about to take their exams this summer
no word of a lie.
The change is about more than facts and figures, it about my factory. Our new learning centre means new opportunity are on our doorstep - for many of my members it means not feeling intimidated at our age going to a college where everyone is young.
UnionLearn has changed Britain for the better, nationally 24,000 Union Learning Reps have been trained, 700,000 people are on union learning fund courses, millions of trade union families improved for the better.
But conference, all this is at risk, If Cameron gets in 10 Downing Street and Osborne gets in Number 11, they will get their budget scissors out and Union Learn will be cut, cut, cut.
The £80 million, our Labour Government, has invested in working people, will go if the Tories get to slash and burn our public services. They will put private profit before the public purse and put an end to opportunities for ordinary working people.
So conference, be vigilant. The Tories say they have changed – but we know they haven’t – they would let women down, sell women short and cut women’ jobs and services. We should be clear, we will stand up and defend working women, the minimum wage and Union Learn.