The Jim Conway Memorial
Foundation
Education Through Participation
The Jim Conway Memorial Foundation was better known by its working name the Jim Conway Foundation or JCF. The organisation was established following Jim Conway's death in 1974 as a tribute to his work in the trade union movement. He had been General Secretary of the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU), later Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers (1970), from 1964 to 1974.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Conway_(trade_unionist).
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Andrew (Andy) Wood, Conway's Assistant from 1966, founded the organisation in 1975. The JCF became a UK-registered educational & research charity in 1976 (Registration no. 272347).
Governing Document:
The content of this website was written 2022. Much of the detail is taken from is from the Director’s Annual Reports to Trustees and Minutes of Trustees meetings. Very little of the 1970s and 1980s documents are complete, those for the 1990s are more comprehensive. Consequently, there is more detail available for the later period.
The Beginning.
The JCF began by organising weekend seminars for rank-and-file trade unionists. The first was held at a small hotel in Scarborough during September 1975.
The tutor was the late Robin Smith, who was a lecturer on industrial relations at Durham University Business School and an arbitrator at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS).
Robin became a good friend to the JCF and a founding trustee. Sadly, Robin passed away. in 2018.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/may/31/obituary-robin-smith
Following a grant from the Manpower Services Commission's Job Creation Programme (MSC/JCP); that funding was for two years.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manpower_Services_Commission),
Courtesy of the MSC/JCP grant, the JCF was able to engage its first full-time staff, establish a research department and carry out independent research on employment-related issues.
The organisation had a director, post-graduate researcher, an 18-year-old secretary and one administrator, but nowhere for them to work.
The research officer was Paul Rathkey, a young postgraduate from Newcastle University. Paul remained with the JCF for 12 years and was a key to its success; that did not just apply to research, but also the education and training programme.
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The organisation had a director, post-graduate researcher, an 18-year-old secretary and one recent school-leaver, but nowhere for them to work.
A cousin of Andy Wood had a hairdressing salon in Dovecot Street, Stockton on Tees. The property had one unused room on the first floor (12ft x 10ft) this became the JCF’s first office space. There was a token rent of £1 per month. Both Andy Wood and Paul Rathkey worked from home.
In 1978, the charity moved into 8 Yarm Road, Stockton, which became its permanent base. Initially, the accommodation comprised of just two rooms. Andy Wood occupied one office and two junior researchers and the administrative staff, now totalling five, inhabited the other. Paul continued to work from home.
By this time Paul and his researchers were working on several fully funded research projects. The weekend educational projects were also part grant-funded through educational awards; the rest was made up from individual subscription and affiliate fees.
Education & Training
The late 1970’s was an era of turbulent industrial relations with many disputes in mining, transport, the motor industry, and the public services. Prior to gaining office in 1979 the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, had been planning how to curb trade union power via the use of law.
In 1980, the JCF was able to engage an education officer to administer all training and educational programmes. This appointment coincided with the second floor of the property becoming available; that space became the JCF Research & Education Department
The 1980’s saw the enactment of several pieces of legislation which amongst other things introduced strike ballots, limitations on picketing, and curtailing compulsory trade union membership. By the end of the decade union membership and power had diminished significantly, most notably after the defeat of the NUM in the 1984/5 strike.
Trade union/Government relations had been a subject of JCF seminars during the late 1970s and 80s. This continued throughout the 1990s. Other matters were also deliberated upon, these included:
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The Employment Act, which saw the ‘closed shop’ principle become illegal, and The Industrial Relations Act, were both introduced in 1990.
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Trade union membership had stood at around 12.5 million in 1980. By the late 1990s it had fallen to 7.5 million. This led to a rationalisation programme throughout the 1990s.
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The trade union movement began to accept the need to consider varying issues associated with European integration.
By the 1990s the JCF was using venues throughout the UK, this enabled a series of courses that could be developed around particular themes.
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What is Human Resource Management?”.
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“Changes in Pay & Benefits”.
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“The Organisation of Work”.
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“Employee Involvement & Commitment”
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“Resourcing Strategies for the 1990’s”.
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“!990 Employment Act”
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“The Role of Trade Unions in a European Society”
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“Varying issues associated with European integration”.
Despite the considerable expansion of the organisation’s education and training portfolio during the 1980s & 1990s, its original rank & file weekend seminars remained the backbone of the activities. It was felt that element of activity defined the ethos of the JCF. More than 300 were organised between 1976 & 1998. These ranged from one-day conferences and several weeks training courses.
The Tutors
As mentioned earlier, the first tutor was the late Professor Robin Smith. Robin also participated in later educational projects.
Tutors and lecturers came from various backgrounds. There were academics, trade union professionals, politicians, experts in industrial law and others.
Every one of them played an important role in the charity’s development. There were too many to mention all by name, but there were two who acted as tutor in more JCF projects than anyone else, usually together.
Dr David (Dave) Bright, then lecturer in Industrial Relations at Durham University Business School and Dr John Newton who lectured on the same subject at Northumbria University.
Dave & John made a perfectly balanced team and were very popular with the delegates. With his unique ability and presentation skills, Dave could “work the room”. John was more down to earth in his approach; together, they both had the ability to work off each other.
Like Reithian BBC, they educated informed and entertained.
The Foundation organised courses in Northern Ireland (NI) from about 1989; The Troubles were very much in evidence for the time of JCF involvement, which was until 1998.
Andy Wood had operated in NI for the AEU before working for Conway. During that time, he had become well known to AEU officials and other agencies in Belfast.
Arising from that involvement, the JCF was asked to coordinate a series of three non-partisan seminars over an eighteen-month period. The series was successful and effected an annual gathering. All the Northern Ireland projects were held at the same venue, The Bohill Motor Inn in Coleraine.
Delegates were from both sides of the political/religious divide, and there was not one issue involving any differing NI political views.
Similarly, involvement in Scotland had been ongoing from the late 1970s, and an annual weekend event was held in Motherwell. Further activities involving Scotland and concerning European activities will be covered later.
January 1997 was when the JCF held its 300th educational and training course. This figure represented all educational and training exercises, including those yet to be mentioned concerning international and European education & training. It took place at the Scarisbrook Hotel in Southport, Lancashire, and was a weekend seminar for affiliates and subscribers.
Approximately 80% of the organisational cost for each weekend course was covered by attendance fees. Fees paid by organisational affiliates reflected the full cost of each individual delegate attending the event, including administration and a proportion of staffing costs, with Individual subscribers paying a reduced amount.
Joint Trade Union & Management Training
Through the AEU and the East Midland's Engineering Employers' Federation (EMEEF), the JCF was invited to organise an exploratory conference at the EMEEF training centre in Rutland. An equal number of union and management representatives took part. Various unions participated; the occasion was considered successful, and the gathering became an annual event. The Rutland exercise led to similar conferences with the EMEEF regional equivalents based at Coventry and Newcastle.
Research
​Towards the end of (MSC/JCP) funding in 1978, that source of income was for a period of two years only, the director of the JCF was approached by Roger Undy, a Research Associate at the Oxford Centre for Management Studies.
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Roger-Undy-49353793.
The Leverhulme Trust was seeking a small research organisation to complete a three-year project on participation and industrial democracy. A successful application to the Leverhulme Trust secured Paul Rathkey's employment with the JCF for a further three years. Three more consecutive Leverhulme three-year projects were to follow.
Paul Rathkey left the JCF in 1988 and was succeeded by Calvin Allen, the senior research officer.
The Director of the JCF and Roger had met at Ruskin College, Oxford, in 1968. https://www.ruskin.ac.uk/about-us/
Roger consulted the Director of the JCF in connection with two of his early works at Oxford, Change in Trade Unions: The Development of U.K. Unions since the 1960s (Hutchinson), 1981 and Ballots and Trade Union Democracy, 1984.
JCF Research Publications
The following detail has kindly been drawn up by Paul Rathkey and represents his published work on behalf of the JCF:
JCF Publications, Reports, and Papers 1976-88
by Paul Rathkey
Books:
(1) P.R. - Participation and Industrial Democracy: The Shopfloor View (JCF, Stockton on Tees, 1984 ISBN 0 9509308 0 6)
(2) P.R. -Time Innovations and the Deployment of Manpower: Attitudes and Options (Avebury, Aldershot, 1990 ISBN 0 566 07121 5)
Research Reports and Booklets:
(3) P.R. – Job Satisfaction and the Humanisation of Work (JCF, Stockton on Tees, 1977)
(4) P.R. – Shift work Innovations in the Chemical Industry (JCF, Stockton on Tees, 1978) also in Shift work in the Chemical Industry: Case Studies of Innovation (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, Dublin, 1981 – ref: E.F./81/32/EN)
(5) P.R. – Youth Unemployment in Cleveland (JCF, Stockton on Tees, 1978)
(6) P.R. & W.Fricke and B.Konig – New Technology and Changes in Industrial Relations: An Anglo-German Comparison – Programme of Research and Action on the Development of the Employment Market (EEC, Brussels, 1983 – V/09-83-EN St. 81/21)
(7) P.R. – The Future of the North: The Case for a Northern Regional Development Agency - Report commissioned by the Northern Regions of the Transport and General Workers Union and the General, Municipal and Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union (JCF, Stockton on Tees, 1983)
(8) P.R. & D. Thierry and P.Bayley – Work Sharing and the Reduction and Reorganisation of Working Time at Firm Level: Anglo-Italian-French Case Studies – Final Report to DGV (Parts I and II) – project no. 830127 (EEC, Brussels, May 1984 published by EEC, 1985, ISBN 92 825 4926 7)
(9) P.R. – Work and the Prisoners of Time: The Case for Work Sharing (Work and Society Report No.11, Work and Society, Brighton, 1984 – available from the Institute of Manpower Studies, Sussex University)
(10) P.R. – Job Sharing and Part Time Work (Community Education – The Unemployment Project, The Open University, Milton Keynes, January 1985)
(11) P.R. – Jobs, Incomes and Economic Shibboleths: A Review of the Real Wage/Employment Debate (Bank of England Staff Organisation, London, February 1985)
(12) P.R. – Case Studies in the Reorganisation of Operational Time at Firm Level: United Kingdom – Final Report to DG5 re Anglo-Belgium-French-German study by EIFIP (EEC, Brussels, June 1985) See also – Reorganisation du Temps du Production, EIFIP, Brussels, October 1985
(13) P.R. – The Challenge of Change: A Study of Technology and Industrial Relations on British Rail (JCF, Stockton on Tees, mimeo, November 1986
(14) P.R. – Education/Training Courses for Supervisors on Technological Change and its Effects on Workplace Organisation and Relationships (University of Durham Delegacy for Adult and Continuing Education, Report of the Session 1985/86, Durham University, 1987 – pp.17-26)
(15) P.R. – Supervisors and Technological Change (Report to the Department of Education and Science, London, July 1987)
Articles:
(16) P.R. & Charles Hanson – Industrial Democracy: A Post-Bullock Shopfloor View, British Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol XXII No 2, July 1984 pp 154-167
(17) P.R. – British Trade Unions Rethink Work Time, Work Times, Vol 2 No 4, July 1984 – pp 1-4
(18) P.R. – Work Sharing and the Reduction and Reorganisation of Working Time at Firm Level, Social Europe, No 3, December 1984 pp 63-65
(19) P.R. – Participation: The Shopfloor View, Management Research News, Vol 7 No 3, 1984 pp 5-8
(20) P.R. – Work Sharing: Flawed Fallacy or Rational Response, in Gabriel Fragniere (ed.) The Future of Work: Challenge and Opportunity (European Centre for Work and Society, Van Gorcum, Maastricht, 1984 pp 63-76)
21) P.R. – The Restructuring of Production Time in the Enterprise, Social Europe, No 2, 1986 pp 91-2
(22) P.R. – Trade Unions, Collective Bargaining and Reduced Working Time: A Critical Assessment, Employee Relations, Vol 8 No1, 1986 pp 4-9
(23) P.R. – Trade Union Education: Provision, Politics and Purposes, Industrial Tutor Vol 4 No 3, Spring 1986 pp 57-65
(24) P.R. – Trade Unions: watershed or just leaky? Manpower Policy and Practice Vol 2 No 1, Autumn 1986 pp 23-24
(25) P.R. and Calvin Allen – The Industrial Relations of Technological Change, Management Research News Vol 11 No 1, 1988 pp 25-27
(26) P.R. - Flexibility and Work Options in the U.K., Society for Work Options Digest Vol 1 No 2, San Francisco, USA, July 1988 pp 7-10
Papers:
(27) P.R. – Trade Union Involvement in Changing Job Structures (paper delivered to the Royal Institute of Public Administration, RIPA, conference, New Developments in Job Structures, at the Policy Studies Institute, London, 11 March 1986)
(28) P.R. – New Patterns of Work and Labour Flexibility in the United Kingdom (paper to the European Metalworkers Federation Conference, EEC, Brussels, 21 April 1986)
(29) P.R. – Flexibility and the Trade Union Movement (paper to Industrial Relations Services/Scottish Development Agency conference on Flexibility: The Key Concept of the 1980s, SDA, Glasgow, 1 October 1986)
(30) P.R. – Employment Contracts and New Working Patterns (paper to Durham University Employment Relations conference on Industrial Relations in a Changing World, Trevelyan College, Durham, 25 November 1986)
(31) P.R. - Controlling Absence: Stick or Carrot? (Paper to Employment Relations conference - Improving Attendance and Performance at Work – Durham University Business School, 22 October 1987)
(32) P.R. – Flexibility and Working Time Options (paper to Society for Work Options annual conference, San Francisco, USA, May 19-21 1988)
PR/ September 14 2022
© 2022 Paul Rathkey
Other JCF Research Publications​
1979
Future Technology and the Implications of Microprocessors
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Future_Technology_and_the_Implications_o/FdUFHAAACAAJ?hl=en
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New Technology and the Trade Union Movement
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/New_Technology_and_the_Trade_Union_Movem/6WhVMwEACAAJ?hl=en
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1991
Employee participation and involvement into the nineties
Calvin Allen Head of Research
Ian Cunningham Senior Research Officer
Louise McArdle Research Officer
ISBN: 9780950930817 0950930814
1992
The Impact of Demographic Change on Training: A Cross
A European Comparison
Nina West Research Officer
Japanese Industrial Relations: A Comparative Study
ISBN: 9780203927656
1993
DGV Trade Unions: The Thatcher Years: Ten Years of the Jim Conway Foundation Annual Memorial Lecture (1981-1990)
ISBN: 0950930849, 9780950930806
Work Skills and Work Orientation
Calvin Allen
ISBN: 0-9509308-5-7
Disability & Employment
Ian Cunningham
ISBN: 9780950930831, 0950930830
1994
The Changing Focus of Employee Relations: A View From The Engineering Sector. (Commissioned project (AEU/EMEEF)
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1995
A Programme of Job Evaluation for Santierul Naval Constanta:
Calvin Allen
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Programme_of_Job_Evaluation_for_Santie/lzwcMwEACAAJ?hl=en
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1996
Education, Work & Training within the U.K. Prison Service.
Ian Cunningham
Undertaken on behalf of the Home Office.
1997
The Europeanisation of British Industrial Relations: A Trade Union Perspective
1999
Report: Informing and consulting employees in the European Community: seminar held by the Jim Conway Foundation, Friedrich Ebert and Hans Böckler Foundations held at the Trades Union Congress, Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell St, London WC1 3LS.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/102425899900500315
Peter O’Brien? /unattributed?
A database library for collective bargaining agreements and other related matters was developed during the early 1990s as a vehicle to support computerised research facilities for affiliated organisations.
The researchers dealt with all industry/employment-related enquiries from affiliates.
From 1995, the Research Department found it necessary to direct more of its resources towards servicing its affiliates and providing material for other domestic/internal projects.
Also, during 1995, an Apple Mac desk-top publishing system was installed. It enabled the organisation to improve the presentation of all publications, except for bound copies of books. In addition, the integral computer data base enabled the research department to process survey work more effectively.
The JCF Trade Union Report, Bulletin and Focus
In 1978, a monthly journal, the JCF Trade Union Report (The Report)' was introduced. It contained reports of weekend schools and research activity, together with an analysis of relevant issues of the day. The research department and administrative staff produced it in-house from 1978 until 1992. The cover and contents page of some surviving JCF Reports are shown.
From 1982, the education officer summarised all education and training projects. The research department continued to provide articles based on published research and topics of social and work-related relevance to individual and organisational affiliates.
The JCF Bulletin replaced the Trade Union Report in 1992, and in 1997, The JCF Bulletin was superseded by JCF Focus. The publication was thought to be more contemporary than its predecessors’ concerning presentation and content.
Unfortunately, the British Library appears to hold the only surviving copies of JCF Focus.
Jim Conway Foundation Publications available from The British Library
Work and the prisoners of time : The case for work sharing.
P Rathkey
Institute of Manpower Studies, 1984.
Participation and industrial democracy: the shopfloor view.
Paul Rathkey
Jim Conway Foundation, 1984.
Time innovations and the deployment of manpower: attitudes and options.
Paul Rathkey
Jim Conway Foundation, 1990.
Trade union involvement in changing job structures.
Paul Rathkey
Jim Conway Foundation, 1986.
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Equal rights: Weekend seminar: Report.
Jim Conway Foundation, 1992.
Collective bargaining in Europe: Weekend school: Report.
Jim Conway Foundation, 1992.
Disability & employment / Ian Cunningham.
Ian Cunningham, 1964
Jim Conway Foundation, 1993.
Employee participation and involvement into the nineties: company practice, innovation & the trade union role
Calvin Allen,
Stockton on Tees: Jim Conway Foundation, 1991.
Work sharing and the reduction and reorganisation of working time at firm level: Anglo-Italian-French case studies: final report by Jim Conway Memorial Foundation.
Calvin Allen, Ian Cunningham, Louise McArdle
Jim Conway Memorial Foundation
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 1985.
Future technology and the implications of micropressors.
Calvin Allen
Jim Conway Memorial Foundation, 1979
Trade unions: the Thatcher years: ten years the Jim Conway Foundation Annual Memorial Lecture 1981-1990.
Jim Conway Foundation, 1993.
Impact of Demographic Change on Training: a Cross European Comparison.
Nina West
Jim Conway Foundation, 1992.
The Stakeholding Society: A Jim Conway Foundation seminar on this topic
Coates, D.
Annual Report. Jim Conway Memorial Foundation [19--]
JCF Bulletin: Years held are, Vol 14, 1993 – Vol 18, part 8, 1997.
JCF Trade Union Report: Within the record for Bulletin/Jim Conway Foundation, there is a note which says “Earlier title: Trade Union Report (isbn 0953-3982)
JCF Focus – Issues held are, February, April, June, and August 1998. Presumably, the August issue of JCF Focus was the final periodical published by the JCF.
Annual Memorial Lecture: 1981-1990
The Jim Conway Foundation Annual Memorial Lecture (AML) was established in 1981. The concept was to enhance the organisation's profile, which was little known outside the trade union movement.
The inaugural lecture was given by former prime minister and close friend of Conway, Jim Callaghan. The AML became a significant feature in the annual industrial relations calendar for the remainder of that decade.
The Lectures
1981
The Rt Hon Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, KG,
Prime Minister 1876-1979
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Callaghan
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lord-callaghan-of-cardiff-530171.html
1982
Gavin Laird CBE
General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/nov/12/sir-gavin-laird-obituary
1983
Bill Sirs
General Secretary of the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/22/bill-sirs
!984
John Lloyd
Industrial Editor, Financial Times
https://www.ft.com/topics/authors/John_Lloyd
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!985
Sir Pat Lowry
Chairman, Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service (ACAS)
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sir-patrick-lowry-9213353.html
1986
Lord McCarthy of Headington
Faculty Fellow, Nuffield Collage, Oxford.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/nov/19/lord-mccarthy
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/10076524.lord-mccarthy-industrial-relations-peacemaker/
1987
John Edmunds
General Secretary of the Trade Union, GMB
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2002/oct/28/tradeunions.uk1
1988
The Rt. Hon. Lord Pryor, PC
Former Secretary of State for Employment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Prior
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/12/lord-prior-obituary
1989
Brenda Dean
General Secretary of Society Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT)
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/mar/18/lady-dean-of-thornton-le-fylde-obituary
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Dean
1990
A Symposium
The Rt Hon Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, - Chair
Bill Jordon,
President, Amalgamated Engineering Union and General Secretary of the European Metalworkers Federation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Jordan,_Baron_Jordan
Jerzy Milerski,
Solidarność Poland
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerzy_Milewski
Ivor Roberts
Principal Administrator, Directorate-General (DG) X, European Commission, Brussels
Peter Schulze, London Director, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Andy Wood, Director, Jim Conway Foundation
Chapter Authors:
(Professional designation at the time of lecture).
Forward
Andy Wood, Director of the JCF
Chapter 1:
Coming Full Circle: Britain's Economic Performance During the 1980s:
Calvin Allen. JCF Head of Research.
Chapter 2:
The Trade Unions and the Law.
Dr David Bright. Staff Tutor in Employee Relations at the University of Durham from1978 & Director of the University Short Course Development Unit from 1989
Chapter 3:
Trade Unions and the International Scene: Does a Smaller World Mean Shrinking Unions.
John Lloyd
Labour Editor of The Financial Times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lloyd_(journalist)
Chapter 4:
Union Democracy:
Roger Undy
Acting President/Head of House from 1991 to 1992.
acting President/Head of House from 1991 to 1992. acting President/Head of House from 1991 to 1992.
Dean of Templeton College, Oxford (at publication).
Senior Tutor and Director of the Oxford Institute for Employee Relations.
https://www.gtc.ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/roger-undy-1938-2022/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Undy
Chapter 5:
Trade Unions & the State
Robert Taylor
Labour Editor of the Observer.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/sep/24/robert-taylor-obituary
Chapter 6:
Women and Trade Unions
Louise McArdle
JCF Research Officer
https://www.uclan.ac.uk/academics/louise-mcardle
Chapter 7:
The Changing Role of Trade Unions
Roy Grantham
Trustee of the Jim Conway Foundation.
Former General Secretary of Association of Professional, Executive, Clerical and Computer Staff (APEX). Now a constituent of the trade union GMB. Also, a retired member of the TUC General Council.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/19/roy-grantham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Grantham
Chapter 8
Trade Unionism: 2000 and Beyond
Ian Cunningham
JCF Senior Research Officer
https://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/cunninghamianprof/
In 1997, the JCF Annual Memorial Lecture was re-established, and given by John Monks, General Secretary of the TUC.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Monks
It was held in London during November 1997, and 186 honoured the Foundation with their attendance. The series was planned to again be over ten years, with the general theme, Industrial Democracy: Into the
21st century.
International Cooperation
During the early 1980s, the Amalgamated Engineering Union (AEU) entered into a single union agreement with a Japanese company, NSK Bearings, at its Peterlee plant in County Durham. Two of the principles of such contracts were a management commitment to training and involvement. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100508269;jsessionid=303F2AC88777629A5C7AB4983AE45E81
At the invitation of the AEU and management agreement, a series of training courses were held at the NSK plant in 1984. Also, in 1984, the Japanese motor manufacturer Nissan opened its operation in neighbouring Sunderland. Both the company and the AEU invited the JCF to replicate the training courses that had taken place at NSK.
By 1997, the charity had administered training at 23 different UK-based locations.
In 1988, Andy Wood was invited to the USA to give a lecture and participate in a four-day international debate in San Francisco by New Ways to Work. The occasion coincided with the first annual meeting of New Ways to Work. (https://www.newwaystowork.org).
Jim Conway had represented the AEU on the executive of the International Metalworkers Federation (IMF). At that time, The Japanese IMF representative was Ichero Seto; Conway and Seto became firm friends.
In 1977, Ichero Seto was elected Assistant General Secretary of the IMF, a position he held until his retirement in 1993. He was also General Secretary of the Japan Council of Metalworkers' Unions.
Following the foundation of the JCF, Ichero Seto contacted Andy Wood and said that if he could help in any way, to let him know.
It was not until 1988 that the JCF took advantage of that invitation. It culminated in a series of exploratory exchanges between JCF representatives and counterparts from the Japan Institute for Labour (JI&II).
In 1991, at the joint invitation of the Labour Research Centre of Japan & JI&II, the Director of the JCF gave lectures in Tokyo & Kyoto on the subject of "The British Labour Movement after Thatcher".
During the ensuing years, The JCF cooperated on several research programmes with JI&II Research Executive Takeru Inagaki.
European Involvement
In the late 1970s, the JCF formed links with two German foundations, the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), which had strong links with the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) and the Hans-Böckler-Stiftung (HBS), associated with the German Trade Union Confederation, Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund.
The JCF's first trade union exchange visit was with HBS in 1977. It was the largest delegation of any exchange involving the JCF, 20 individuals from seven different affiliated unions were involved.
It also worked closely with the FES on trade union and work-related social issues for the rest of the twentieth century, particularly in Eastern & Central Europe following the collapse of communism.
In total, the JCF was involved in a series of eight exchange visits with the FES & HBS between 1980 and 1995. The UK participants were all representatives from various JCF trade union affiliates.
During this period, Andy Wood worked very closely with the International Secretary of HBS, Peter Scherrer. https://www.etuc.org/sites/default/files/other/files/cv_ps.pdf
Also, Peter Schulze, who was first London representative of the FES. The office opened in 1988.
https://iask.hu/en/people/peter-w-schulze/
In 1991 the Foundation undertook the printing, distribution, and sub-editing of an English language pilot issue of Die Mit Bestimmung, the journal of the Hans BöcklerFoundation; the German organisation funded the entire publication process.
During the early 1980s, trade union attitudes to European cooperation slowly changed from irrelevance to a mild acceptance and a need to cooperate.
In 1986, Terry Duffy, President of the AEU, the General Secretary, Gavin Laird and the Executive Council attended a fact-finding exercise to Brussels. This was instigated and organised by the JCF and funded by DGX.
National Union of Mineworkers
Three years later, the first UK trade union exploratory meeting for future cooperation took place between JCF-affiliated Areas of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and their German counterparts, IG Bergbau, und Energie (IGB). The JCF Director organised this gathering, which took almost two years to arrange*.
By this time, NUM Area affiliates included three of the four largest NUM Areas: 2 the National Federation of Colliery Officials (COSA), 3 South Wales and 4 Scotland. The membership placings are based on 1979 figures, which show Nottingham as the second largest Area; that section broke away from the NUM in 1985 to form the Union of Democratic Mineworkers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Union_of_Mineworkers_(Great_Britain)
*Those aware of the internal difficulties during and following the 1984-85 strike will understand the complicated situation existing at that time. Meetings with John Smith, mentioned above, were loosely associated with this. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/john-smith-19381994-the-man-who-would-have-led-britain-1435513.html
In 1993, the third leg of an annual exchange conference for the Foundation’s NUM. affiliates and IGB, took place in Blackpool where discussions took place on European energy policy. Funding for all the NUM/IGB cooperation costs was from the EU Social Fund.
JCF involvement with IGB was recognised when the Foundation was asked to arrange U.K. input to an international health and safety conference, organised by the Miners’ International Federation (MIF), held at the residential college of the IGB. All UK delegates were from the JCF NUM Area affiliates and by that time totalled 78,415. The involvement of the JCF and its NUM Area affiliates was because the NUM had left the MIF in 1985, when the then president, Arthur Scargill, had a disagreement with the rest of the MIF member organisations.
Anglo/European Cross Industry Studies
A comparative study, involving the JCF and HBS, examining employee participation in British Steel (Teesside) and works councils at Mannstaedt GmbH (of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) took place in 1992. This programme concluded with a conference for delegates from Teesside and Mannstaedt representatives at Middlesbrough and Troisdorf, North Rhine-Westphalia. A report was prepared for I&STC, IGM and the Employers. See contents page of JCF Bulletin Vol 16 No 2.
An Anglo/German Foundation (AGF) programme looking at productivity and changing work practice agreements in the engineering, chemical, finance and the food, drink & tobacco industries in the UK and Germany was undertaken in 1993.
Also in 1993, a conference was coordinated in Brussels for two national affiliates, the AEU & the Iron & Steel Trades Confederation (I&STC) and the German metal working union IG Mettal (IGM). The purpose of the gathering was to debate the attitudes of British and German employers to European Works Councils.
The following year this was replicated for the Transport & General Workers five regional affiliates and the German Chemical workers union IG Chemmie to debate attitudes in the respective chemical industries.
The continuing exchange programme with the FES saw a new first for the Foundation in 1994. Previous delegations had been made up of trade union representatives only. On this occasion four conveners from British manufacturing industry were accompanied to Germany by an equal number of personnel managers. The venture was considered successful, and it was agreed to continue it on an annual basis. The pilot was funded by the AGF.
The social fund, (DGV) financed two European Works Council projects, both involving The Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. The first, involving Shorts of Belfast and Aer Lingus of Dublin. The second concerned Unigate/St Ivel a British owned company with plants in Northern Ireland and one in Wexford in the Republic.
Central and Eastern Europe
In the early 1990s, the JCF became involved with training programmes in central and eastern Europe. The European Commission's (EC) Poland and Hungary Aid for the Regeneration of the Economies (PHARE) and its Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS) were the leading funding agencies.
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PHARE: An EC fund to assist countries of central and eastern Europe in their preparations for joining the European Union. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/enlargement/briefings/33a1_en.htm
PHARE had several elements, the Partnership Building Programme, and the Democracy Programme. Both agencies supported the JCF's central and eastern European work.
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TACIS: To help and advise member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, in their transition to democratic market-oriented economies.
The JCF became registered training agents for both PHARE and TACIS in 1991.
The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office also helped fund the JCF European programme through its Know How Fund (KHF).
https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100040805
Involvement in eastern and central Europe began in 1991. The JCF was invited to evaluate the training needs of the newly formed Romanian trade union federation of Blocul National Sindical (BNS). This invitation was from the AEU and funded by the KHF; it was the Foundation's introduction to eastern and central Europe.
Andy Wood met with the President, Dumitru (Doru) Costin and other leaders in Bucharest.
In November of that year, Wood addressed the inaugural annual conference of BNS in Transylvania. The organisation's needs were evaluated, and a programme of training under the broad subject of the Role of Trade unions in a Democratic Society was agreed. That training commenced the following May.
In 1994, a delegation from BNS visited the UK to take part in a two-week exercise designed to familiarize the participants the various processes of conciliation, mediation and arbitration. The course was linked to an introduction to industrial law and was held in London at the Bayswater Inn, W2 4NT.
The visit coincided with the England soccer match against Romania’s national team at Wembley. The Foundation’s visitors attended the national stadium with their hosts; the result was a 1-1 draw.
European horizons were further extended when the JCF hosted a one-week training course for representatives of Poland’s Solidarnosc on negotiating techniques.
December 1993 saw another first for the JCF. In cooperation with the East Midlands Engineering Employers Federation (EMEEF) and Solidarnosc, a seven-day programme on training and negotiating techniques was held for managers and trade union representatives. It was held at the training centre of the EMEEF and funded by PHARE.
In 1994, research and education staff conducted a three-day course in Slovenia in relation to Management Buyouts and Employee Share Ownership Plans (ESOPS) and during 1995/96 were involved in an ongoing series of programmes in Poland, Romania and Bulgaria on temporary teaching methods and techniques.
The JCF hosted a young trade union academic from Montenegro in 1995, Dragan Djuric. He spent several months researching British industrial relations at Teesside University. It was also intended to be an exercise enabling to improve his English language. Dragan became most knowledgeable and helpful contributor to the work of the JCF>
http://www.policy.hu/djuric/About_me.html
On this link reference is made to: Djuric, Dragan, 1996, Montenegro - An unknown country, Jim Conway Foundation Bulletin, Vol.17, No.8.
A 13-week Romanian training course on negotiating techniques for representatives of BNS and the Employers’ Confederation of Romanian Industry (CONPIROM) was approved in 1994 and commenced in March 1995.
Calvin Allen, head of research, worked on a programme of job evaluation for Santierul Naval Constanta in Romania, which is one of the largest ship repair and conversion yards in Europe. It specialises in medium range bulk carriers and chemical tankers. A 21-page report was presented to DGV in 1995
By 1996, the JCF was working in several eastern and central European countries. The principal involvement was in Poland & Romania; it also operated in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bulgaria and Belarus. These activities were funded by EC agencies or the KHF.
A four-day training programme for 26 middle-level activists of the Romanian Federatia Sindicatelor LibereArta, Cultura, Audiovizual (ACAV), was approved and took place in 1996 in Bucharest. The emphasis was for the JCF to cooperate with the ACAV in organising a bespoke training package to assist the ACAV in adjusting to its role in a plural democracy. The agreement had a prerequisite for providing two experts to address eight specific aspects of trade unions in an egalitarian society.
ACAV was inaugurated in 1989 during the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime. Its founding Members had played a significant role in the events which led to the removal of Ceausescu.
The following April, the publication of a JCF Polish Bulletin was considered after producing two pilot issues. It was agreed that DGX would be prepared to fund a more permanent publication for a bi-monthly issue for a minimum of twelve months.
A two-week Skills for Negotiation course for representatives of Poland's leading trade union collective, Solidarność, The Confederation of Polish Employers and Polish governmental bodies, took place in the UK in 1995. It was noticeable that the governmental representatives did not wish to cooperate and made their point. The 'old guard' was still around.
A 13-week training course on negotiating techniques for both representatives of the Romanian trade union federation BNS and a Romanian employers' counterpart was approved by PHARE and took place from March 1997
It had become common during the 1990s for partnering organisations to be involved in joint projects. The FES & HBS were the main partners for the JCF. Some assignments had Italian, Dutch and French partners, often a tripartite arrangement with one of the German organisations.
There was always a 'Lead Partner' for such projects, with overall responsibility. The JCF was the lead partner in two projects, one in Lithuania on the principles of a pluralist democracy. The other was in Slovenia and based on the ethics of a market economy. The European funding for these undertakings is vague; the Director's report for 1996 states that it was from "Budget line 4-7007".
Multi and cross-national involvement in training became common as the decade progressed. In 1996, a survey commenced in five eastern & central European countries where the JCF had a presence. It examined the current and projected level of social policy in each country. The findings were compared with the criteria for European Union membership concerning social policy.
The resultant report was presented to the Foreign Office, other interested bodies, and the European Social Fund (DGV), the funding agency.
Some of the teaching and lecturing was contracted out using trade union professionals and university academics, particularly from Durham University, Templeton College Oxford and London Business School.
The Serbo-Croat-Bosnian Region (SOBR)
The Director had a proactive role and total responsibility for eastern and central European activities. His overall obligations to the charity were becoming challenging; consequently, it was decided to appoint a European Officer.
Due to a regional T&GWU restructuring programme, several regional officers took early retirement. One of those was John Joynson, who had earlier been National Education Officer for the union; Joynson was well known to the Director and appointed to the position at the beginning of January 1996; his remit was to work in tandem with Andy Wood.
The Bosnian War had ended in December 1995. The Director was advised by a contact working in the European Commission that DGV was considering conducting a series of training programmes in the region.
Liaising with several UK European Members of Parliament, two of whom were members of the B3-4004 Budget Committee; one was also the committee's chairman. Arising from those discussions, a SOBR proposal was prepared and submitted to DG V.
The proposal resulted in a meeting with a senior staff member of the DGV Chef de Cabenet's office. The JCF became the sole British representative when it was awarded a 15-month contract. It was one of several organisations from across the European Union to begin working in the SOBR in early 1996.
With a long-term commitment in the SOBR coming on stream and the existing European workload, it was decided to open a European office. Following an assessment of JCF activity in the region, cost and convenience of location, the operation was based Cracow (Krakow), Poland.
The office opened in July 1996, and Ewa (Eva) Michalska was appointed by Joynson as the JCF Assistant Organiser for eastern and central Europe. Miss Michalska graduated from the University of Krakow with a degree in management & marketing.
The SOBR project was administered solely by the Krakow office.
John Joynson was given singular responsibility for that operation and all JCF involvement in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic states.
A training needs audit was carried out in the autumn of 1996. Joynson's task consisted of identifying the training requirements of management and workforce of the SOBR to meet the prerequisite standards for EU membership. Also, to provide the training to attain those standards.
The Bosnian War had officially ended six months earlier; however, total peace had not effectively been restored, and the project implementation was carried out under challenging circumstances.
While the British and US involvement was officially withdrawn at the end of 1995, that withdrawal was gradual, and there was still a significant military presence.
John Joynson made approximately 12 trips to the SOBR and spent a total of 97 days in the region.
It has not been the intention to go into precise detail throughout the construction of this site, but certain aspects of John Joynson's experiences, merit relating.
On one occasion, he had been working in Banjaluka, the second-largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He became cut off from the only public exit route due to the destruction of the one remaining unrestricted bridge. John was pondering the situation with his Interpreter/driver when they saw a Land Rover drive slowly past. On the back of the vehicle was a small union jack flag; John and his colleague followed the Land Rover.
Shortly afterwards, the military vehicle stopped. Weapons became trained on the car, and an officer of the Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) approached them. The officer demanded to know why his Land Rover was being followed; an explanation followed. After a passport ID had taken place, the two vehicles proceeded to a large, gated, heavily fortified building.
With cooperation from the US military, The JCF representative was transported out of the region via military pontoon-type bridges by the RAG to Bulgaria.
On another occasion, he was working in Pristina, Kosovo, close to the Albanian border. Among the delegates was a representative from Albania, who asked if the course could be replicated in his country.
Independently, John sought advice from the Foreign Office and was advised that if he valued his life not to enter Albania. JCF involvement in Albania was put off for another time!
Not hitherto mentioned is Jim McWilliams, who was employed as project officer in 1980. His primary function had been to assist the Director in his organisational role. Jim was assigned to assist Joynson with the SOBR programme.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
In 1995, the President of the AEU, Bill Jordan, was elected General Secretary of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Confederation_of_Free_Trade_Unions
Jordan was aware of the work of the JCF. Following a preliminary meeting in Brussels in 1997, the JCF was invited to participate in an ICFTU mission visit to Azerbaijan, the only British representative.
Following the Azerbaijan assignment, a contract was approved for the organisation to enter a two-year commitment of training in Azerbaijan from 1999; the ICFTU and the KHF to share the costs.
The ICFTU had also agreed, in principle, that a similar exercise would take place in Belarus and Russia from 2000 & 2021, respectively.
In 1998, a programme was proposed involving Russia on ‘The Role of Trade Unions in a Democratic Society, in cooperation with the Dutch organisation Mondiaal FNV. FNV negotiations concerning this were still ongoing at the time of the retirement of Andy Wood in July of that year. JCF involvement was to be covered by the Know How Fund. In cooperation with the ICFTU, the JCF processed a similar exercise for submission to PHARE.
The audit carried out in those eastern & central European counties where we had worked during the year ended March 1997, when we sought the level of social policy attained in each country and compared the findings with the social requirements for EU membership was completed. Copies of the final report were presented to various interested bodies, including the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development and the funding agency, the European Social Fund (DGV).
The retirement of Andy Wood was on 31 July 1998. His successor, Brian Kelly, a trade union sponsored university graduate and a member of the Communication Workers Union succeeded him and took up his post on 03 August 1998.
The Charity Commission ceased to record the Jim Conway Memorial Foundation as a charity in November 2000. No reason for the removal is given.
The following link was posted for which the date is unknown:
https://www.labourstart.org/conway.shtml
The above link indicates that the document referenced "was last modified: Monday, 08-Dec-2003". No date for the original post is specified.
It isn't easy to ascertain from that document whether the JCF continued to follow its obligations under its own Governing Document. There is certainly no reference to its UK commitments or independent research.
It may also be open to question regarding political impartiality as required by the Charity Commissioners.
Sylvia Conway
Sylvia must have a special place here. She was the Honorary President of the Foundation from its beginning. Sylvia passed away in 1995.
Trustees
There were many JCF trustees over the years, mostly retired trade union officials, but not entirely. Each one gave their time freely, attending four meetings each year.
t would not be appropriate to mention them all by name, but there were two who must be given a special thank you. They were trustees for the entire existence of the charity.
Charlie Elliott was vice president of the Civil & Public Services Association (CPSA). Charlie met the Director at the 1974 Trades Union Conference Congress and became firm friends. Charlie was Chairman of the Trustees from 1980 until 1993. Sadly, Charlie died in 2011.
Norman Jones QC first met the Director during the 1975 European Referendum campaign. Norman worked very closely with Andy Wood during that period and was most helpful in setting up the foundation and establishing its early development. Norman died suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2023.
As with Charlie, Norman supported the charity's aims and aspirations. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/announcements-june-16-n0wbbkbd6l8
JCF Administrative Staff
Whilst administrative staff turnover was minimal, several served the organisation for a long period and are worthy of a special mention. Margery Oliver was secretary/assistant to the Director from 1977 to 1986; Pam Bighi filled the same position from 1990 for the rest of the organisation's existence. Alison Wharton only served in the position for three years but played an important and supportive role within the organisation. Remarks emanating from the Research Department indicated that she and Pam "Served as good sources of guidance and advice to researchers".
Carol Sowerby joined the JCF from school as an office junior in 1979. In 1986, Carol became the organisation's first office manager, a position she held until 1990 when she moved to London. All staff played their part in supporting the charitable work of the JCF and helped achieve its aspirations. The objectives of 1976 would not have been possible without them.