In at the deep end

If you’re serious about recruitment then doing a stint as a stand down rep is as good as it gets, says Boots Logistics worker Barry Campbell from Nottingham.

“It’s a fantastic experience and a real learning curve,” said Barry, 35, who has been seconded to Usdaw for 12 months to work on a variety of recruitment and organising projects in his Midlands division. “I’ve been an activist for nine years both with Boots and my previous employer the Co-op and I’ve always enjoyed the recruitment side. I get on well with people and believe in the product I’m selling.

“As a stand down rep I’ve had the opportunity to visit a variety of retail outlets including Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and the Co-op as well as distribution sites such as Morrisons and Christian Salvesen. The experience you gain from this hands on approach is second to none,” added Barry. “No two workplaces are the same.

“Some days are more successful than others but I never get despondent because the positives far outweigh the negatives. Last week I recruited 30 new members in one go at a distribution site, mostly eastern European workers, this kind of success keeps your enthusiasm alive.”

Former mail order worker Amanda Lamb’s 14 years of union experience was put to good use when she took part in an eight week Morrisons recruitment drive across the North West.

Amanda visited nine stores and recruited 261 new members and six new reps in less than two months.

“Stand down is an excellent way of developing both your recruitment and organising skills,” said Amanda, 41, who was made redundant from Littlewoods Mail Order at Tulketh Mill in Preston earlier this year. “My organiser Dave Gill’s support was invaluable. My only recruitment experience was in mail order so going into shops on my own was daunting.

“Dave wrote to store managers in advance and arranged my visits. In some stores I could be sat in the canteen all day with little or no interest, yet in others I was inundated with questions and requests for literature and membership forms.

“All in all it was a very mixed bag but an excellent learning curve. If you’ve got a flair for recruitment then ask your local official about stand down in your area.”

Usdaw is always on the menu at the Morrisons store in Grays, Essex, thanks to the dedication and commitment of reps Ellen Dentih and Donna Williams.

“We’ve worked hard to build up membership and now have more than 200 members,” said staff canteen manager Ellen. “We only had 40 members when I became a rep two years ago, so we’ve come a long way.

“Our success initially was down to academy organiser Kieron Murphy who helped set up a number of union awareness days, which gave us the opportunity to explain to staff the full benefits of union membership.

“Once we’d raised the profile of the union, staff started to sign up and within no time membership was growing.

“Donna and I work well together,” added Ellen. “I speak to members on a regular basis on their tea and lunch breaks and Donna looks after everything on the shop floor – we’re a good team. We also have a good relationship with management, which is a real bonus. We always try to nip issues in the bud before they can escalate.

“We keep members fully up-to-date with what Usdaw is doing on their behalf. We find organising awareness days around the unions campaigns helps. The Freedom From Fear campaign really struck home with everyone, especially our younger and part-time staff who decided to join.”

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