Trade Union courses at the GFTU
April 2 2025
The GFTU Educational Trust aims to provide education for the trade union movement, wider working class and young workers. Established by the General Federation of Trade Unions in 1970, their founding aims were to educate workers in “economic history and theory, industrial law, and the history and principles of industrial relations.” They will be running a wide range of face-to-face, online, and residential courses throughout the spring and summer. CWU reps can register at affiliate rates.
Trade Union and Working Class History
- 17th April 2025 – Liaison Committee – New Rank & File Organisation
- 15th May 2025 – Miners’ Strike 1974
- 12th June 2025 – The Wapping Dispute & Printworker Organisation (In-person session: Marx Memorial Library, London)
- 19th June 2025 – Imperial Typewriters 1974
- 17th July 2025 – Grunwick 1976
Price: Free for affiliates & non-affiliates
Please note: You only need to sign up once to access all online sessions.
Strategy Series – The Rise of Worker to Worker Organising
Venue: Online
Dates: 21 May, 7-8pm.
The Rise of Worker to Worker Organising will be delivered by Eric Blanc, a long-time labour activist. Blanc is an organizer trainer in the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee, which he helped co-found in March 2020. He directs The Worker to Worker Collaborative, a centre to help unions and rank-and-file groups scale up their efforts by expanding their members’ involvement and leadership. His most recent book is We Are the Union: How Worker-to-Worker Organizing is Revitalizing Labor and Winning Big (UC Press 2025).
Application Deadline: 7 May
Price: Free for affiliates and non-affiliates.
Political Course
Venue: Central London venue and Parliament.
Date & Time: 22 May
This one-day course will explore the political process, how Parliament works and how trade unionists can influence the political process.
The course will be led by experienced trade union activists with experience of political campaigning and will include a visit to Parliament.
The course will take place at a central London venue and include travel to Parliament.
Accommodation will not be provided.
Application Deadline: 8 May
Price: Free for affiliates. For non-affiliates: £100.
Solidarity Series – Justice for Colombia
Venue: Online
Dates: 11 June, 7-8pm.
Justice for Colombia will be delivered by Nick MacWilliam who is the Trade Union & Programmes Officer at Justice for Colombia. He spent several years working in Latin America as a freelance journalist and translator. He has written on Colombian politics and the peace process for several different media outlets.
Application Deadline: 29 May
Price: Free for affiliates & non-affiliates.
Activists’ Corner – Tackling Discrimination
Venue: Online
Date & Time: 10 July, 7-8pm
War on Want will be delivered by Asad Rehman who is the Executive Director of War on Want, the radical anti-poverty and workers’ rights organisation. Asad is a leading climate justice activist whose work has helped to reframe the climate crisis as a crisis of neoliberal capitalism, inequality, and racism. Asad has led climate justice groups inside the UNFCCC process and was co-founder of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, is currently coordinator of the Global Green New Deal Project and was one of the founders of the COP26 Coalition connecting the labour movement and the climate movement. Over the last 35 years, he has worked with many social movements both globally and nationally including the labour movement, anti-racist movement, the alter-globalisation movement, and the anti-war movement. He has previously served on the Boards of Amnesty International UK, Global Justice Now, Friends of the Earth International and is currently on the Boards of a Thousand Currents and Rainforest Action Network.
Application Deadline: 26 June
Price: Free for affiliates & non-affiliates
Young Members’ Development Weekend
Venue: GFTU Quorn Grange
Dates: 20-22 June
If you are a young member or are new to union membership, then this residential event is for you! Full of inspiration, opportunity, education, and networking, this is a real chance for young members across the movement to develop their skills, gain knowledge and create links with other trade unions.
Application Deadline: 6 June
Price: Free for affiliates. For non-affiliates: £325.
Solidarity Series – War on Want
Venue: Online
Date & Time: 10 July, 7-8pm
War on Want will be delivered by Asad Rehman who is the Executive Director of War on Want, the radical anti-poverty and workers’ rights organisation. Asad is a leading climate justice activist whose work has helped to reframe the climate crisis as a crisis of neoliberal capitalism, inequality, and racism. Asad has led climate justice groups inside the UNFCCC process and was co-founder of the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, is currently coordinator of the Global Green New Deal Project and was one of the founders of the COP26 Coalition connecting the labour movement and the climate movement. Over the last 35 years, he has worked with many social movements both globally and nationally including the labour movement, anti-racist movement, the alter-globalisation movement, and the anti-war movement. He has previously served on the Boards of Amnesty International UK, Global Justice Now, Friends of the Earth International and is currently on the Boards of a Thousand Currents and Rainforest Action Network.
Application Deadline: 26 June
Price: Free for affiliates & non-affiliates
Roots of Racism with Roger McKenzie
Venue: GFTU Quorn Grange
Date & Time: 21-22 July
The course will be led by the prominent trade unionist Roger McKenzie, who has an extensive experience of work on race equality issues and, in particular in building Black self-organised structures within the trade union movement. Roger is former Assistant General Secretary of Unison, former Regional Secretary TUC, former Race Equality Officer TUC, former Race Equality Officer PCS, former Trade Union studies lecturer at Manchester College and Northeast London College.
We will be looking at understanding the context of racism and where it comes from, the rise and mainstreaming of the far right, as well as challenging racism in the workplace and the community.
Application Deadline: 7 July
Price: Free for affiliates. For non affiliates: £200.
Bargaining, Organising & Campaigning Around AI & Data
Venue: GFTU Quorn Grange
Date & Time: 28-29 July
A two-day in-person course for union reps and activists to explore the opportunities and challenges offered by the rapidly developing world of Artificial Intelligence and data.
This course will be tutored by Mike Joslin, CEO and Co-Founder of Bombe, an AI data targeting and audience modelling platform. He has built start-ups, managed large teams, run some of the UKs most high-profile campaigns and worked for and advised dozens of leading figures on the centre-left of politics.
This course will also be tutored by Adam Cantwell-Corn who has worked across the labour movement to build our strategies, policies, and organising capacities including with multiple unions and worker organisers.
Application Deadline: 14 July
Price: Free for affiliates. For non-affiliates: £200
GFTU Summer School
Venue: GFTU Quorn Grange
Date & Time: 11-13 August
This is our annual opportunity to take stock and think about the future of the Movement and where we go next. As we look to build on recent organising and campaigning successes, the course will help participants to think strategically and embrace new ideas.
Our Summer School provides the space and stimulus for a bolder, bigger and better union Movement. This course is aimed at experienced and newer trade union activists who want an opportunity to think outside the box with key leaders from across the movement.
Application Deadline: 30 July
Price: Free for affiliates. For non-affiliates: £325.
Becoming a Friend of GFTU Educational Trust
March marked one year since the launch of the Friends of GFTU Educational Trust scheme, and in that time, it has helped achieve incredible progress in trade union education.
Over the past 12 months, the Friends have played a vital role in transforming trade union education, funding incredible programmes, and strengthening our movement.
If you’re not yet a Friend, here’s why now is the time to join us.