Working Lives Research Institute
The Working Lives Research Institute has just completed an evaluation of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union’s Equality Representatives’ Training, Development & Support Programme, which found that the project had increased the number and profile of Equality Reps (ERs) within the union and provided a stronger and clearer equality agenda for the PCS.
WLRI acted as the academic partner throughout the two-year pilot project, which was funded by the Union Modernisation Fund to support training and education for equality representatives and improve the ability of PCS to respond to the needs of a diverse membership and labour market. The pilot project covered one of the largest employers with PCS membership, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the union’s North West Region.
Before the project started the PCS had a network of Branch Equality Officers (BEOs), but their role and level of activity varied widely. Through clarifying their role, which included the production of an Equality Officers Handbook and providing training and mentoring, the project increased the numbers of BEOs/ERs by nearly 20 per cent nationally and by approaching one third in the North West region and over one third in the DWP. Additionally it has enhanced the confidence of BEOs/ERs in carrying out their role, which involved in a range of activities to promote equality, raise awareness and offer advice and support to members and branch officers on equality matters. Nearly half had met with management as part of their role and a number were keen to engage in Equality Impact Assessments in their organisations – the equality impact of proposed job cuts and relocations was a consistent concern.
The evaluation also found that the project provided new routes to activism for some PCS members, and BEO/ERs represent a slightly more diverse population than PCS activists overall in terms of gender, race, disability and age. Nearly a third of BEO/ERs said that they were covered by a formal agreement which provided them with time off for BEO/ER duties, although this was often through a wider branch allocation or the facility time they received for another branch officer role. In the absence of statutory time off for equality reps – for which the PCS and other unions have campaigned but were unsuccessful in getting included in the new Equality Act - the majority saw the absence of specific time off as a barrier to their effectiveness.
A range of methods were employed in the evaluation: in phase 1 Mary Davis and Max Watson carried out a base-line survey of Equality Officers, the results of which were used to define the ER role and develop a training course. In phase 2, Sian Moore and Tessa Wright conducted interviews with key experts on the project and new ERs, as well as focus groups with new and experienced ERS, observations of ER training, mentoring events and a consultative seminar, and a follow-up survey of ERs.
The evaluators noted the key role of the dedicated project support workers in the effective delivery of the project, which raises issues for the sustainability of this equality work after the end of the project. The WLRI evaluation will be used by the PCS to consider future developments in relation to the ER role.
www.pcs.org.uk/en/equality/equality-officers/index.cfm