by Paul Donovan

The General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) has signed a groundbreaking partnership agreement with the University of Wolverhampton to help create the trade union leaders of tomorrow.

General secretary of the GFTU Doug Nicholls said: “We are well placed too, over the next five years, to focus on the remaining priority in the movement, the engagement of young leaders.

“I will challenge any trade unionist or affiliate that is not seriously developing the youth manifesto we have created and anyone who is blocking the rise of young members in our ranks.

“Quite simply, we need to develop thousands of young workers this year to ensure that we never feel as bad as we did on the day after the election this year.”

The work at the University of Wolverhampton will be led by Professor of Social and Labour History Keith Gildart, who expressed his concerns that for too long “we have lost track of our own story and experiences.”

“We will be trying to write class back into history,” said Gildart, who told of his ongoing struggles to dismiss the myths about unions in the 1970s and ’80s among his existing students.

The partnership agreeement will include regular exchange of knowledge and ideas, research proposals, joint funding bids, exchange of guest lecturers on relevant courses and ways of funding bursaries for students and developing new curricula areas of mutual interest.

There will be joint seminars and publications.