Course Information

Delivered by the Trades Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, this is the first stage course for union reps. It introduces the key concepts and provides a thorough foundation for workplace representatives to develop their knowledge and skills to enable them to carry out their role effectively. The course will help you:

• Understand the job of the union rep in the workplace and the wider union
• Dealing with members problems
• Represent members with employers
• Use and make agreements
• Understand how grievances and disciplinaries are handled
• Understand employment rights at work
• Recruiting members and getting them involved in the union
• Meeting management to discuss a range of issues at work
• Keeping members in touch with wider issues
• Build confidence in your role and responsibilities as a union rep
• Develop the skills you need to be an effective rep

Delivered by the Trades Union Congress and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, this course will cover the essential knowledge and skills necessary for safety representatives, including organising and an understanding of health and safety legislation and how this can be interpreted for the workplace. 

The course focuses on the following key areas:   

• The role and functions of a trade union health and safety representative.
• Organising for health and safety
• Preventing accidents and ill health
• Introduce H&S legislation
• Key skills for a trade union health and safety representative

The course will help you:

• Identify problems – the main health, safety and welfare issues faced by your members
• Involve members – by making them more aware of health and safety issues and the need for union action
• Improve health and safety – by proposing plans for controlling hazards and improving the working environment
• Use information and the law – tracking down information and knowing how to use it effectively
• Get things done – by working with your union organisation and negotiating effectively with your employer
• Develop skills – to do an effective job as a trade union health and safety representative

Challenging the rise of Reform UK, as well as an emboldened and dangerous far right, has never been more necessary for the trade-union movement.

This one-day training programme is designed to equip GMB reps with the tools and confidence to challenge harmful narratives around racism, refugees, and the cost-of-living crisis without confrontation or blame. Through interactive exercises, and guided discussions, attendees will learn how to 'call in' rather than 'call out': engaging others with empathy, curiosity, and informed dialogue.

The session will explore how misinformation and scapegoating often target the most vulnerable in society, deflecting attention from systemic inequality and the decisions made by those in power. By the end of the day, participants will be empowered to foster inclusive conversations, build solidarity, and redirect fear and frustration toward constructive, collective action.

Building on the foundations of the Reps Level 1 programme, this next stage is designed to equip trade union reps with the critical knowledge, strategic skills, and bold analysis needed to transform our workplaces, communities, and society.

Together, we will interrogate the pressing issues facing the trade union movement today, mapping the journey from its radical roots to its current challenges. We’ll look beyond Western models to uncover global approaches to organising, drawing inspiration from struggles and victories across cultures. Through case studies of successful campaigns, we’ll expose what makes them work and what it takes to win.

This programme will also dig deep into leadership, examining it through diverse lenses and arming reps with the practical tools to lead with confidence, courage, and clarity. This is not just training; it’s preparation for action.

In a time of climate crisis, economic injustice, and rising far-right politics, trade unionists need more than slogans, we need strategy and vision. This two-day programme offers radical, class-based political education from Trademark, with years of experience training activists across Ireland, Britain, and Europe. 

The course objectives aim to equip trade unionists with the tools to analyse and challenge the system; build confidence in organising for change; connect economic theory to real-world struggles and grow a cohort of politically educated activists.

What you’ll learn: 

• Understanding the System
• Classical Liberalism & the End of Social Democracy 
• Globalisation, Precarity, Debt & Inequality 
• The 2008 Financial Collapse & Its Legacy

Trademark is a trade-union based organisation delivering political education rooted in working-class experience and solidarity. For nearly 30 years, they’ve provided transformative training across the UK, Ireland, and Europe.