Most union representatives associate ‘globalisation’ with the capacity of employers and governments to threaten competition thereby undermining the legitimate claims of workers. "Your claim will undermine our competitiveness against foreign imports", "You will force us to shift our investments off shore", and so on. Any union education programme on ‘globalisation’ will and should open up discussion from the point of view of working people. It should define what ‘globalisation’ is, traverse its origins and future development, its effects on workers, whether or not it is inevitable, and its potential for democratic transformation.

Australian Union Education

Union Education in Australia has changed significantly since the election of the right wing Liberal - National Party government in 1996. One of its first acts was to close down the Australian Trade Union Training Authority, a government statutory authority with a large annual grant. But out of the ashes of the old, a new TUTA (Trade Union Training Australia) was born. Owned directly by the union movement through the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), TUTA set about working with "Organising Works" (OW) to rebuild and refocus union education in Australia. OW is an associated training agency, also owned by the union movement, with a particular focus on the development of organising strategy and skills.

In the past two years TUTA and OW staff have gradually integrated ‘globalisation’ into their courses. The priority in all of these courses has been the development of knowledge, practical skills and strategies which will reverse the decline in union density through organising, especially in the new industries and workforces.

These courses include a nine month traineeship for new organisers; a 3 week residential course on union management, supported by a placement with a sister union in another country; a 2 week residential course for experienced organisers; a 2 day organising strategy and skills course which integrates the role of volunteer members, established delegates, the organiser and education officer; a one day course to introduce officials to the potential of the Internet; specific short modules and ‘lunch ‘n learns’ on globalisation and organising topics.

During 1996 and 1997 the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) grappled with developing what is arguably the most coherent effort to introduce its members to the political economy of globalisation. The national leadership of the union believes that the union must take some responsibility to develop the political, not just the trade union, awareness of its members so that they can understand the political and economic context which shapes the possibilities and options for industrial campaigns.

TUTA assisted the union to put together and deliver a 12 day ‘political economy’ programme. The CFMEU starts its discussion by exploring ‘globalisation’ as a new and more virulent form of capitalism. It asks the question: "What is the same about current social development and what is new and distinctive?" As it proceeds, the programme encourages discussion about alternative social programmes and societies.

Another union which has maintained its internal union education programme is the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU). It integrates a ‘globalisation’ perspective depending on the experience and circumstances of the participants. In particular, it ensures that its negotiating role-plays require the consideration of ‘globalisation’ issues.

Of course, workers learn about ‘globalisation’ in other ways besides attendance at structured union education programmes. This learning is also worth reflecting upon.

The maritime industry dispute in Australia has unfolded over the past twelve months and is nearing settlement. Thousands of people have rallied at industrial picket lines to express their support for the members of the Maritime Union of Australia who were locked out. There are many elements to this dispute, with most people being inspired by the international solidarity messages and actions of workers and their unions from all parts of the world. Some learned for the first time of the international organising potential of the internet. We must also wonder whether what was learned in the maritime dispute about international unionism was traditional international solidarity or whether there were new insights gained about what has been called cross border organising.

The Western Australian Trades and Labour Council has been drawing activists from the maritime dispute into discussions about a pro-active strategy to deal with the effects of ‘globalisation", focussing on the MAI. Workshops are being arranged and clusters of activists developed to attract more people to the strategy.

In South Australia, the Centre for Labour Studies at the University of Adelaide has provided access to diploma courses for working class adults, often nominated by their unions, for some years. Most courses in the programme integrate ‘globalisation’ topics, some of them exploring the gender and race dimensions of ‘globalisation’, not just a traditional political economy approach.

In New South Wales, three labour movement foundations have made contributions to learning about ‘globalisation’. The Search Foundation has funded the development of a number of training modules on ‘political economy’ which are available for use in seminars. At least one union has bought this programme but its use in the field has been very small.

In the state of Victoria, the Victorian Trades Hall Council’s Centre for Union Research and Education is conducting bi-monthly short seminars on challenging globalisation. It hopes to integrate the understandings developed in these seminars into the emerging "Working Time Campaign" being put together by a number of Australian unions.

Many people have been hurt by the policies of the Labor and Liberal governments over the past 15 years. This has weakened the confidence of working people in both major parties. Without a credible alternative, a significant grass roots movement has emerged around the right wing and racist agenda of the One Nation Party which promotes a return to a white and isolationist Australia. The party has cleverly linked the effects of globalisation to a racist agenda which blames indigenous Australians, migrants and the arts community for the country’s problems.

However, it seems possible that many of those who support One Nation are not attracted to its racist agenda but, are interested in an organisation which gives voice to deep and justified concerns about a form of ‘globalisation’ over which they have had no effective control.

This sort of learning about ‘globalisation’ can be described as informal learning, and in the absence of a coherent, progressive alternative it thrives as a sullen, insecure and defensive resentment against the role of government and others (like unions) who have been associated with government in the past.

Organising and education activity in unions around ‘globalisation’ is growing. What exists is positive, but the overall weaknesses need attention. First, the content of courses draws overwhelmingly on input from experts. This work must continue. However, the assumption is that if people see how ‘bad’ something is they will be naturally drawn to participate in activities and campaigns against it and will automatically bring others with them.

TUTA’s view is that a more powerful understanding of ‘globalisation’ can be drawn by starting from workers’ experience of it, developing the capacity to critically reflect on this experience, and then considering the insights from ‘experts’. (This encourages ‘experts’ to learn from workers too.) Further, our view is that organising and mobilising must be integrated into education about globalisation. We argue that there are strategic and skill frameworks which can be learnt and applied practically by organisers to gather more people into exercising their power. We need to learn in both our programmes and in the field what collective, cross border organising and bargaining might mean. Education programmes are at the moment uncoordinated and lack focus and, therefore, a vacuum exists. The vacuum can be filled by a mobilising union movement, drawing from a more comprehensive, coordinated union education programme which explores the exercise of power and counter power in a ‘globalisation’ which is significantly different from that faced by previous generations.