Activists' zone

Quick links:

Branch Development and Organising Toolkit: an overview
A set of short planning modules to help branches map their branch organisation and membership.

Involving members
The success of a public campaign will depend upon how effectively you involve your members.

Campaigns rely on winning widespread support in the community and UNISON members can be key in spreading the word and involving others.
Also, an important spin-off from involving members is that they will probably become more interested and active in UNISON generally - campaigning is another way of organising.

The key steps to involving members include:

Keeping them informed. Make sure members know why the campaign is important, the arguments behind it, and what activities are taking place.

Encouraging members to get involved. Ask them to help with those activities that have already been decided upon. Ask members what else they want to do to help, or what ideas they have for other activities.

Make sure members are properly equipped. Supply them with the appropriate campaign materials and arguments before they engage with the public.

Keep your branch officers informed of what you and your members are doing. To be effective, campaigns need to be well co-ordinated. Public statements made in the name of UNISON should be authorised.

Campaigning

UNISON has a proud tradition as a campaigning union, both inside and outside the workplace.

The minimum wage and Positively Public campaigns are two recent examples of major national campaigns in which the union has played a leading role.

UNISON is also frequently involved in smaller scale campaigns to improve local services, avert cuts or closures and build community organisation.

Effective campaigns generally go beyond the workplace and involve the wider community.

Users and providers of services can achieve much more when they work together to bring about change, just as workers united in a workplace have a stronger voice than one individual alone.

Campaigning is an important way of gaining improvements in employment matters.

Legal rights to equal pay, for a minimum wage and protection against unfair dismissal were all won through a combination of union organisation, political lobbying and public campaigning.

Campaigns can also win improvements for our communities. This is particularly important for UNISON members, many of whom provide services to the community.

Cuts in services do not just mean cuts in jobs and conditions for UNISON members, they also mean cuts in living standards for the people they work with and for their families.

Campaigning helps advance our members' interests. It also helps build our organisation - by recruiting new members, developing our activists, raising our profile and building alliances with other organisations.

Most campaigns that stewards get involved in will have been initiated by UNISON at national, regional or branch level.

You may find out about these from your branch - at a branch meeting or through the branch newsletter - through Focus, UNISON's fortnightly newspaper for stewards and branch officers, as well as directly from UNISON and from news items or reports on television and in newspapers.

UNISON encourages its stewards and workplace representatives to get involved in our campaigns.

Usually the information issued to branches and in Focus will give you enough guidance on what you can do to help, but if you need further advice ask your branch secretary or contact your regional office.

All campaigns are different, so there is no blue print for what's involved.

Don't worry - UNISON only asks you to volunteer for the things you feel confident about and normally you'll be asked to do these things in a group, not on your own.

LINK
For more on campaigning issues, see our Campaigns section.

Advice for activists | next: Your rights as a UNISON rep

ADVICE FOR ACTIVISTS

The workplace rep

Working with members

Recruiting

Dealing with problems

Working with employers

Health & safety

Campaigning

Your rights

Getting involved

Pay matters

A fair deal for public service workers

UNISON campaigns

Positively Public
A national campaign launched in 2001, to build up public pressure on government to keep public services under public control and stop them being sold off to private companies.
Tactics involved:

Mass postcard distribution. Stewards and branches were asked to distribute postcards for the public to send to the Prime Minister.

Lobbies of politicians. Regions and branches organised meetings with politicians and arranged public lobbies of conferences and council meetings.

Activity days. Specific days were earmarked as Public Services Days. Regions and branches were asked to work with other unions to organise media events to publicise the issue.

Putting forward alternatives. UNISON presented a well-researched case proving that publicly-run services provide better quality care.
Outcome. Public opinion is shifting and progress is being made. The campaign continues.

Branch campaign against privatisation of council home care services
Tactics involved:

Research. UNISON sought information about areas where home care was privatised and produced materials showing that privatisation would lower service standards.

Involvement of members. UNISON called members' meetings and asked them to explain our case to clients and their families.

Lobbying councillors. Members and service users were encouraged to write to their councillors. UNISON organised public lobbies of council meetings and councillors' surgeries.

Publicity. UNISON issued press releases, briefed local journalists and organised publicity stunts.
Outcome. The council agreed to scrap plans to privatise in exchange for having discussions with union representatives on improving service delivery.