Description:
Trade union competence and learning. Contemporary changes inworking life pose new challenges to the Swedish trade unions for blue-collar workers. This article aims to analyse what new competence they now need and what conditions exist for trade union learning in the workplace. Local trade union competence and learning are critical aspects of influence and democracy at places of work. The article describes how the trade union movement has viewed learning and schooling historically, as well as its current point of view. Today, local unions are expected to be capable of formulating knowledge needs and conducting learning independently. Using a sociocultural approach to learning, the author analyses the onditionsfor local unions to develop on their own the competence and trade union practice needed, in the light of examples from ethnographical studies of two local union boards. Existing conditions are interpreted as involving overwhelming demands. The use of schooling as a complement to independent and informal learning is discussed, as are changes in the conditions for the everyday work of local trade union boards.