News

Unite, the UK's largest union representing printing workers, and Polestar Petty have signed a Local Learning Agreement to create a learning culture across the Leeds based printing company.

The agreement, which applies to all 435 employees of Polestar Petty, part of the UK's biggest print group, will follow the ProSkills Skills Pledge as well as support the government’s personal development initiatives.

Commenting on the agreement Unite Assistant General Secretary, Tony Burke, said: “This agreement is a real breakthrough for Unite the union. Polestar is the largest employer in UK print and our members and the management have shown real vision in reaching this agreement. We offer our congratulations to all concerned.”

Union Learning Representative (ULR) Darren Stallan, a printer at Polestar Petty, was elected last year to be first ULR on the site and has been actively generating support for the agreement through a Learning Needs Analysis programme on site.

Polestar Managing Director, Chris Bowen, said: “We hope that by making it easy for our employees to develop new skills and gain meaningful qualifications, we will continue to benefit from a workforce that is increasingly responsive to new ideas. I look forward to following the progress of this initiative.”

The first programme being planned is an Internet/Digital camera course. Further courses will be driven by the interests of the employees, with IT and languages being likely future options.

For further information contact Russ Morgan, Unite Learning Organiser, on 07980 237 828 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite Press Office on 020 7420 8914 or 07980 224 761.

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