Plenary Session 3 was An Address by Ms. Nancy Riche, Officer of the Order of Canada and Retired Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress.
Ms. Riche addressed the delegates on Saturday morning, October 18, 2003. She shared her experiences with literacy within the labour movement in Canada over the past thirty years. Ms. Riche spoke in depth about the changes she witnessed in the labour market and the changing demographics of the present labour force in Canada as well as the globalized world in which essential skills and literacy are a must. She commended delegates for their commitment to workplace literacy and wished them every success in their future endeavours.
WORKSHOP 1, The Labour Experience in Atlantic Canada: Literacy and Lifelong Learning took place on Friday, October 17, 2003.
This workshop was conducted by:
Ian Thorn, Communication, Energy and Paper Workers Union of Canada,
Linda Wentzel, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, and
Margie Hancock, Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour.
Ian Thorn's presentation used video clips of the Communication, Energy and Paper Workers Union (CEP) National Literacy Project which began in 1999. The video clips highlighted workers' and employers' views on participation in the project. Thorn stated that a committee had been organized to develop a national needs assessment in order to determine the needs of workers and the company with respect to workplace literacy. This project was based on the peer tutor learning guide model. The union and employer agreed to house the project in the union hall and complete confidentiality was strictly adhered. Materials used in the course were generally left to the discretion of the learner as it was believed this could achieve a better degree of comfort for the learner. Some learners chose the collective agreement, magazines, newspapers, etc. The participants in this project wished to control this aspect of the program which provided a sense of ownership. It was not perceived as a management driven agenda. Thorn stated that some of the projects were funded through a cost sharing agreement with the employer, while others were 100% funded by the employer. In closing, Thorn informed delegates that this program was a huge success with workplace literacy evolving into a culture for both employer and union.
Linda Wentzel, Workplace Education Coordinator with the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour, gave an overview of the history of the worker education in unions, particular the use of peers to deliver workshops and courses. She explained the partnership that has helped to develop the peer learning guide project in Nova Scotia. In 2002, the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour hosted a meeting that brought together three unions with expertise in using peers to deliver education to their members; the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). With the Canadian Labour Congress(CLC) mediating, the labour delegates then met with the Nova Scotia Department of Education to forge a partnership. All parties are currently developing a training for the peer learning guides. Ms. Wentzel informed the delegates that one of the drawbacks to participation for some of the unions is the lack of unionized instructors. The addition of peer learning guides to the classroom will help alleviate that concern. The peer learning guides will work with a class instructor to bring a union perspective and more union content to the learning experience.