A bigger stronger union

While other unions are struggling to sign up new members Usdaw reps are taking the direct route to a bigger stronger union.

Academy Organiser Garry Gibson has put his new-found skills to good use and recruited nearly 200 new members within his first two months. The Jacksons Group, recently bought by Sainsbury, has 114 convenience stores across the Hull area and employs more than 3,000 staff.

“My academy coach and Area Organiser Tony Aylward had already done the initial groundwork with the company,” said Garry. “He visited them on a number of occasions and eventually negotiated an agreement for recruitment facilities. This is where I came in. “I targeted a number of stores in and around the Hull area. I wrote to the manager of each store telling them the day and time I would be visiting. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased to see someone from the union and I was made very welcome in every store I visited. Sixteen of my new recruits were managers.

“We’ve made valuable inroads and set the foundations to develop a more organised and structured approach in Jacksons,” added Garry. “The next step is to organise a team of activists, so that we have a union rep in every store. This has given us a solid foundation within Jacksons, and one which we can build on in the future.”

An organised workplace is the key to a happy workforce, says union rep Pete Golder, who works at the Sainsbury distribution depot in Elstree, London.

Pete has worked at the site for ten years, he said: “We signed an agreement with Usdaw two years ago and since then things have really changed. We’ve now got a team of four reps as well as a health and safety rep working together and available for members at any time of the day or night.

“It’s a different place to work now, everyone is really content in their work and know that if they have a problem it will be taken seriously and dealt with properly. Having the backing of the union has helped make a number of improvements which benefit everyone on site, not only in their pay packets but in other areas such as the facility to request extra days off because of good attendance.

“Membership at the site is just above 75 per cent at the moment but we are convinced we can improve on this. We’re a happy bunch, happy in our work and happy with our union, it just gets better and better.”

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