Communication and organisation key to recruitment

#uNDC14 Campaigning and organising were high on the agenda once again this year, as Conference agreed to campaign "visibly and vocally" against cuts to jobs and services, to attract new members and to keep the ones we already have.

Supporting the motion Scotland's Stephen Smellie reminded delegates that there is a difference between recruiting and organising. "Other unions regularly make a push on recruitment. They visit workplaces they have sometimes never been before, sign up some members, sometimes poach a few and then are never seen again.

Enter the UNISON Scotland Communications Awards

Don’t be too modest! Not only is this competition a good opportunity to give you and your branch some well-deserved recognition for the excellent work you do, but it will also help us build a stronger union by sharing best practice, your innovative ideas and your enthusiasm.

Enter now! Click here for an Application Form in Word format, complete it and email it with any relevant attachments to unisonscotlandcomms@gmail.com
...or print out and send to:
UNISON Scotland, UNISON House, 14 West Campbell Street, Glasgow, G2 6RX (Please mark envelope with Scottish Communications Awards 2013 in top right hand corner.)

Closing date: Friday 1 November 2013

Awards will be presented at Scottish Council on Saturday 7 December.
http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/comms/competition/index.html

Organising to support members in dispersed workplaces

#undc13 With more and more fragmentation of public services, through outsourcing, personalisation or the break up of established bargaining arrangements, conference backed a range of measures to recruit, organise and support members in these dispersed workplaces.

Scotland’s Stephen Smellie told delegates that although we all know that recruitment is essential to everything we do, we regularly fail to make this a priority.

Course reminds us what the union stands for

Clare Sweeney from UNISON West Dunbartonshire Branch was thrown in at the deep end as communications officer last month after a branch development day. She had only been a steward since last year.

“I was encouraged by people to stand and I was delighted that the training came up so quickly”, said Clare (pictured). “The training is really interesting and I’ve been able to meet people from other branches.”

“Perhaps the most important thing I’ll take from it is to keep reminding us all what the union is, what it stands for and why we are in a union in the first place.”

Malcolm Burns presents the media training
on the communications course

She praised the keynote speech last night by Assistant General Secretary Roger McKenzie as “re-invigorating”, bringing her “back to the basics as to why we do this.”

It’s scary being branch secretary..

.. but the training is giving me more confidence to go back and organise in my branch, said Shirley Birrell of Scottish Borders Health Branch during a break in UNISON Scotland's branch officer training this weekend.

Shirley (on the right in the photo) became branch secretary just two months ago like Karen Merriman of Orkney Health Branch. Both had been stewards before but the big step to branch secretary was a scary one.

Shirley said she was: “interested in being branch secretary but not confident” until her regional officer encouraged her to go for it.

“The training is really helpful”, said Shirley. “It gives you lots of ideas especially showing you how to create an organising agenda in the branch.

Karen, who had been Young Members Officer previously, agreed: “The training underlines the importance of working together in the branch, making use to the skills of stewards and other officers.

“I wasn’t that confident when I came on the course but I’ll leave more enthused and motivated”, she said.

Strengthening the devolution protocol

#undc12 Scotland and Cymru Wales joined forces to put devolution issues on the Local Government Conference agenda as delegates supported plans to deal with the separate bargaining arrangements in the devolved nations and to develop the constitutional debate. See full story at http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/conf2012/lgstory3.htm

Review of 2011 - Celebrate the Successes... It’s going to be a Long War

A review of 2011 from the unofficial UNISONActive blog calls on us to celebrate our successes but focus on organising for the challenges ahead. http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-of-2011-celebrate-successes-its.html

UNISON Mobilises for action at Anti-Cuts Festival

Artists will paint a real picture of the damage caused by public sector cuts at UNISON's Mobilise Festival in Edinburgh, alongside musicians, comedians and special guests. The festival against the Government's cuts, which runs from 13 to 20 August, will include daily debates, followed by live music and open mike slots.

MOBILISE anti-cuts festival 13-20 August Edinburgh

Mobilise: A week-long Festival of Campaigning skills happening in Edinburgh from 13-20 August 2011. MOBILISE does exactly what it says on the tin - brings people together and prepares for action. The art of creative campaigning.

Tools to build an organising union

#uNDC11 UNISON agreed a wide ranging strategy to promote the organising agenda within the union as a basis for effective campaigning to face current and future challenges.

Organising to speak up for public services

Mobilise! New Media module

Over 100 activists, paid officials and community activists from across Scotland are taking part in UNISON Scotland’s ‘Mobilise’ campaigning festival this weekend at the STUC in Glasgow.

Focussing on organisation, the event is pulling together a range of campaigning and bargaining tools, including media skills, ‘know your rights’, strategic campaigning, public speaking, involving members, equality issues, new media, economic briefings and myth-busting – along with more esoteric sessions on comedy skills and political song.

An exhibition on trade union history provided the backdrop last night to an evening of ‘inspirational dance’ and tonight’s entertainment includes Carol Laula (who is also doing a music workshop) and one of the masters of political song, Arthur Johnstone.

Opening the event, UNISON Scottish Convener Mike Kirby stressed the need to engage with members and get the arguments across that there is an alternative to the cuts.

The cuts were ideological, not based on financial need. It was a concerted attack on public services and the welfare state that was designed to be ‘irreversible’.

“I don’t like to get personal in political arguments”, said Mike, “But it is hard not to when you see the attacks from a cabinet that thinks poverty is another country”.

It was unlikely that the cabinet millionaires would ever have to worry about the electricity bill or about whether their children could ever afford to go to university or whether they can afford to pay for care for their relatives or themselves.

And the cuts were disproportionately affecting women. Women as public service workers, as service users and as carers, added Mike.

Trade unions and communities had to equip themselves with the arguments to challenge the cuts. But there will come a time – when people are ready, when they see the full force of the cuts – that the “force of argument” will have to move to the “argument of force” through action.

Mike stressed this had to be united action. It must not be seen as public versus private – a problem in the initial stages of the campaign in Ireland. For every public service job lost, another is lost in the private sector. This needed to be a united campaign of all workers and communities acting together.

The event continues through today, finishing at lunchtime on Sunday.