This unit applies to individuals with a well established, sound theoretical knowledge base in unionism and industrial relations who provide leadership to members and staff in the union workplace. They carry high levels of responsibility and work at a strategic level in the organisation. |
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
1. Identify and evaluate trends and issues affecting union membership | 1.1. Identify and evaluate the impact of community diversity, and differing needs and social values of groupings or cohorts within the community on building unionism 1.2. Identify contemporary unionism practices, in both a national and international context 1.3. Identify and evaluate current trends for union membership within industries or industry sectors 1.4. Evaluate future trends and their impact on current union strategy 1.5. Identify and analyse worker issues that impact on recruitment and retention strategies |
2. Develop strategies to build unionism | 2.1. Develop core priorities for the union that address membership issues through worker involvement and empowerment, and focus on union growth 2.2. Develop approaches to foster democracy within the union and to build worker empowerment through applying principles of collectivism 2.3. Develop innovative solutions to problems or issues confronting union membership 2.4. Develop and promote strategies that help shift workers to act collectively to increase union density and activism, and achieve fair and reasonable outcomes for workers |
3. Review and evaluate union strategies to promote growth | 3.1. Establish key indicators to monitor effectiveness of union strategies 3.2. Implement a review process to evaluate effectiveness of strategies 3.3. Develop recommendations to adapt union strategies where appropriate |
4. Provide leadership through articulating and modelling unionism | 4.1. Communicate the union's vision, values and strategic objectives to union staff, members and workers 4.2. Model leadership through demonstrating collectivism and the values and principles of unionism in own behaviour 4.3. Motivate and inspire others to demonstrate union values and engage in collectivism |
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Required skills |
innovation and problem solving skills to find new and creative ways to address difficulties presented by the external environment leadership skills to persuade others of the importance of strategic planning and approaches planning and organisation skills to ensure that the union is developing strategies to favourably position the union and its members for the future. |
Required knowledge |
models for developing union vision, mission and strategic plan models of leadership and workforce democracy workforce trends and demographic data on the workforce. |
The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the following is essential: documentation researched, using a range of sources on current issues affecting union membership and a range of strategies to address them examples of how the union's vision, mission values and principles have been modelled and communicated in the union knowledge of models of leadership and workforce democracy. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: access to workplace, union documents and other sources of relevant information. |
Method of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate oral or written questioning to assess knowledge of models for developing union vision, mission and strategic plan review of documentation evaluating future trends and their impact on current union strategy review of key indicators established to monitor effectiveness of union strategies evaluation of recommendations developed to adapt union strategies evaluation of how the union's vision, values and strategic objectives were communicated to union staff, members and workers. |
Guidance information for assessment | Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: other workplace relations units. |
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. | |
Groupings or cohorts may include: | ethnic or Indigenous persons local communities men and women older people unemployed persons workers young people |
Contemporary unionism practices may include: | branding or re-imaging of union community campaigning industry or sector campaigning membership service or call centres organising political campaigning professional use of media seeking and applying leverage within industries or sectors |
Approaches may include: | ensuring there are democratic decision-making processes at all levels within the union establishing workplace organising committees holding open forums for members involving workers in developing workplace campaigns reviewing and changing existing union structures surveying members for their ideas and input |
Strategies may include: | appointing growth organisers bargaining with worker involvement creating membership service centres delegate and activist development developing a coalition or community of interests developing appropriate marketing strategies using technology workplace or industry campaigning |
Review process may include: | consultation with workers industry audits membership audits polling and surveys |
Values and principles of unionism may include: | collectivism cooperation democracy egalitarianism equality fairness internationalism justice for working people position that power imbalance in society can only be effectively changed through collective action respect right for people to have a voice in society solidarity |
Unit sector |
Workforce Development - Workplace Relations |
This unit contains employability skills. |
Not applicable.