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Academy rising star Gary Booth
15 October 2007
GV driver Gary Booth believes speaking to workers face to face is the most successful way of recruiting new members and activists as well as raising the union’s profile.
“You can’t beat the personal touch,” says academy organiser Gary, 38, who works for DHL in Northamptonshire. “Staff welcome a visit from the union and being on the academy allows you the time to plan and organise your time more efficiently.
“You get the chance to build up a rapport with staff. You can make some real breakthroughs and put some solid structures in place for the future.
“Follow on visits are vitally important. Staff don’t want to think your first visit was a one-off. They’ve usually thought of lots of questions to ask at your second visit. This is when they’ll more than likely join because they’ve had time to think about it and they’ve also built up a relationship with you – because reps are seen as the face of the union.
“I’ve put all of my skills to the test recruiting in a variety of workplaces including distribution and retail. It’s been an eye-opener with no two workplaces the same.
“I applied for the academy two years ago but wasn’t selected. So I was beside myself when I got through this time. It’s exactly the challenge I was looking for, a brilliant experience. I’ve learned so much.”
Contact Details
Media and Communications Department
Ph: 0161 224 2804
Fax: 0161 249 2490
communications@usdaw.org.uk
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