Membership continues on upward trend

Usdaw’s membership is on the up – and it’s set to continue. At the last count there were more than 340,700 members at August 20, the highest figure since the early ’90s. Membership is steadily rising and has been doing so since 1996.

“But there is no room for complacency,” warns deputy general secretary Paddy Lillis. “The steady net growth each year of several thousand members hides the fact that many, many more new members are recruited, but in any year the union loses up to 70,000 members as they move to different employment.

“There is a huge amount of organising activity underway to make sure we continue to grow. And it is not membership growth for the sake of it. We need more members so we are stronger when we negotiate with employers.

“Just think how much stronger you are as a rep when all staff are in the union. Organising is about improving working life for our members with every non-member weakening our negotiating position. Non-members are a burden on the backs of those already in the union.”

So, what is Usdaw doing to organise in your workplace?

• Firstly, our efforts are directed at ensuring that reps are properly trained and supported.

• Thousands of reps have been visited by their local official and have completed a Rep Development Plan (RDP). These RDPs will help us build our strength in workplaces where reps are already in place.

• The amount of training that is delivered by the education department is growing, as is the range of courses on offer. For more information go to: www.usdaw.org.uk/training.

• The Usdaw Organising Academy is well underway for 2005 and plans are in place for 2006. All Divisions will be running Organising courses in October and November later this year which amount to the starting gun for next year’s Academy.

It’s not all about the ‘big three’

Organising campaigns are up and running in Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. Again, the focus is on helping ensure reps are able to carry out their role in the workplace and build on the number of existing reps.

Hundreds of new reps have already volunteered in Tesco. We are also finding new ways to guarantee that we get to induction sessions to talk to new employees.

Initiatives are also planned or are already underway in Ikea, MFI, Makro, Palmer & Harvey and Marks and Spencer.

We want to build on the number of reps who are seconded to the union, otherwise known as stand down reps.

There are a number of different ways of being stood down. The Usdaw Academy is just one way. In Tesco, we have an agreement for a number of reps to spend up to 13-weeks on recruitment and organising.

We have just reached an agreement with Sainsbury’s for reps to be stood down and we are now looking for volunteers. Similar arrangements have also been put in place for a wide range of other reps and we are always on the look out for more reps to be stood down. Talk to your area organiser if this interests you.

Team building

Working as a team with other reps in your workplace (or finding new reps if you are on your own) is the key to our organising success. That’s why we have just launched new materials to help reps hold rep team meetings every month. These materials will help ensure that meetings are focused on dealing with members’ issues and our organising agenda.

There is plenty of work going into building our membership. You can play your part by getting yourself fully trained and talking to your local official about how you can build a stronger union in your workplace.

 Printer Friendly Page

 Email to a Friend

© 2003 (USDAW) Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers
This page: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/getactive/successful_organising/1127202299_8180.html
Last Modified: Tuesday, 20-Sep-2005 18:33:50 EST
Proudly designed and programmed by Social Change Online
Site Credits