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Organising in the UK: Identifying future priorities for unions and the TUC

Organising in the UK: Identifying future priorities for unions and the TUC. Carl Roper TUC National Training & Consultancy Officer (Organising). A quick ‘history’ lesson. By mid 1990’s unions had spent 15+ years in decline Unions lost six million members between 1979 and the mid 90’s

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Organising in the UK: Identifying future priorities for unions and the TUC

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  1. Organising in the UK:Identifying future priorities for unions and the TUC Carl Roper TUC National Training & Consultancy Officer (Organising)

  2. A quick ‘history’ lesson • By mid 1990’s unions had spent 15+ years in decline • Unions lost six million members between 1979 and the mid 90’s • Union density had collapsed • Harder to effectively represent our members in the workplace and beyond

  3. 1996 - Move to Organising • Decline is neither inevitable or irreversible • Growth needs to be sustainable • New approach to organising • Strategically planning campaigns • Developing and sustaining member activity • Organising around workplace issues that matter to members

  4. What we do makes a difference • Increased union focus on, and investment in, organising and recruitment • TUC Organising Academy • Development of specialist organising teams and departments • Internal ‘Academies’ • Significant investment – training and resources • Building organising into all our other work, for example union learning and H&S • Gradual cultural change

  5. Good, but not good enough! Future priorities • Address members and potential members perceptions of unions and what they are for; • Make unions fit for purpose; • Continue to build capacity; • Support for activists and activism.

  6. Perceptions of unions “I’ve got a miserable man here, he’s got a flat top haircut which he most probably did himself because he’s a bit of a scabby bloke. He’s miserable now – I’ve drawn a bloke striking at a dockers’ yard because it’s just like miners, you know you associate striking with miners, dockers, postmen, you know, it’s just certain professions… manual” (Male, over 25, Cardiff) Source: OLR research for Wales TUC, 2006

  7. What’s the deal? • Individual services and representation • The union in the workplace • Who is the union? • What does it look like? • Who gets involved and how? • Getting the balance right between organising and servicing

  8. Making unions fit for purpose • Leadership • Leading Change programme • Union Modernisation Fund • USDAW’s LEAP project • Support for migrant workers • Role of national centre? • Strategic direction • Building capacity and supporting members

  9. Building capacity • Scale up organising efforts • Increase investment • Move away from organising workplace by workplace, company by company • Engage lay reps • Development of the Organising Academy programme • Strategic Organising • Busting the Busters

  10. Support for reps and activists • Facility time • Building the reps team • ULRs • Equality Reps • Health and Safety Reps • Active members • Increase access and relevance of Organising training • Activists Academy

  11. Summary • Success by lots of measures – but there is NO silver-bullet! But we need to… Build on successes? Scale up? Engage reps and members? Keep a focus on what this is all about!

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