Features
FINDING OUT MORE ABOUT THE VOLUNTARY SECTORCompared to the 19th century tradition of private philanthropy and government indifference to social need, voluntary action today is a hybrid. Out of a total annual income of £15bn, more than a quarter comes from government sources. There is a paid workforce of more than half a million, and six times as many volunteers. The government says it wants a framework for the community and voluntary sector to flourish. 'Futurebuilders' is a one-off £125m investment fund, over the three years of the 2002 Spending Review, to help voluntary and community sector providers in their public service work. A consultation period just ended has sought views from a wide range of stakeholders on the use of the fund. For more details, go to the |
The voluntary sector has traditionally been under-organised, under paid and under valued. No longer, says Laurence Pollock, as he explores recognition work done by UNISON for members in the other public service
For love and money
Imagine working in a sector covered by 400-year-old legislation. You
might feel a little undervalued. A little overlooked perhaps.
If you work in one of the 700,000 organisations that operate in the UK's
charitable or not-for-profit sector, you may well be offering a hugely
important public service and be feeling a little neglected.
One of the problems is that so few workers in this sector are in unions,
especially public services unions like UNISON. But that's all changing,
with real commitment from activists to reach out and find the common cause
that's so obviously there with their fellow workers in the 'third' sector.
From a trade union point of view, voluntary sector members, scattered
around thousands of employers, were, until recently, hard to organise.
A few here, a handful there - it was an officer's nightmare. Recognition
was highly variable and a group of activists a rarity.
Many members hung around the edges of their nearest local government
branch, say, neither in nor out.
Now, UNISON's 'community and voluntary' strategy is all about turning
that round. Stand-alone branches have emerged, and UNISON has notched
up a series of significant recognition agreements.
There are variations around the UK, partly due to devolution, but overall
the new approach is working.
The recruitment drive is particularly important given UNISON's recognition
that recruitment and retention of new members is a top priority. And as
the voluntary sector is fluid and growing, with new organisations appearing
every time there is a housing stock transfer, or local government and
health services are outsourced to a not-for-profit organisation, this
is natural area to seek new growth for the UK's biggest union.
There are plenty of staff in traditional charities. Voluntary organisations
and community groups have more employed, professional staff, than ever
and they are turning over increasingly large sums of money.
Against this background, UNISON, building on years of informal and tentative
links, decided to up the pace. The result: a massive cross union consultation
on recruiting and organising in the community and voluntary sector.
Out of this came a state-of-the-art organising strategy, based on mapping
members, targeting employers of different sizes (eg charities of between
5-19 and those with over 20), prioritising stewards' networks, enhancing
the website, and other tactics like using UNISON Direct as effectively
as possible.
"Regional and national organisers are working closely together and
membership data is much improved," says Kevan Nelson, the union's
head of structural development. "The figures are very impressive."
Dilys Williams, a regional organiser in the West Midlands, is one of
those doing the cutting edge number-crunching that helps UNISON reach
community and voluntary sector staff.
Her mapping exercise has concentrated on cleansing data - a vital objective
in a sector where members easily move from one employer to another.
She points out that from a growth of 8,000 members in the last two years,
7,000 are new - rather than just transfers from say, local government
to new housing associations. But mapping has also dispelled a few myths:
'We have blown out of the water the idea that the membership in the community
and voluntary sector is scattered. Eighty per cent are in groups of five
or more.'
"The mapping exercise has helped enormously as a tool for recruitment
and organisation," says Rosalie Ward, UNISON assistant national officer
for the community and voluntary sector.
She points to success like recent joint recognition with Amicus being
agreed at National Children's Homes (NCH), complimenting the progress
that has also been made for recognition with Mencap and MACA.
An important aspect of this whole campaign is regional variation - and
the opportunity it presents.
UNISON in Wales, for example, has established an all-Wales voluntary
sector branch and a similar body for housing associations.
"While it creates some difficulties in terms of geography and getting
facility time for reps across employers, it gives us a bit more of a focus
and we can co-ordinate our activities," says regional organiser Peter
Short.
Most of the big national charities also have distinct Welsh arms. Rethink
(formerly the National Schizophrenia Fellowship), for example, has a specific
Welsh organisation - Hafal.
"That gives us an opportunity to approach a smaller and more manageable
organisation, around 90 branches, instead of 700 spread across the whole
of the UK," says Short.
There is currently recognition in about half of Welsh housing associations
and UNISON is committed to building on this success.
The union is also finding significant community and voluntary sector
success in Scotland. Care charity Quarriers now has a buoyant UNISON membership
of more than 500, and there has been a flow of new stewards to the Archdiocese
of Glasgow.
UNISON Scotland is running a high-profile campaign to recruit employees
at the Church of Scotland, the country's biggest voluntary sector employer.
Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, a region which is already a big success
story for UNISON recruitment in general, UNISON is working on improving
the terms and conditions of community sector members whose livelihoods
depend on EU-funded projects.
The funding on these projects can last for anything from as little as
six months up to as long as three years. This means the length of employment
can be precarious. But regional organiser Des Donnelly says the sector
is "vibrant" and is pleased with the recent recognition agreement
UNISON signed with the Simon Community in Northern Ireland.
"It was a year long struggle, and the employers were unwilling at
the beginning. But the members filed grievances and held on. It made sense,"
he says.
So UNISON is demonstrating its ability at national, regional and local
levels to identify an issue and tackle it.
There are no quick fixes or sexy initiatives - just hard work, clear
thinking and patience. These qualities are showing through in the union's
community and voluntary sector organisation and making it a key player
in this huge and growing area of the economy and service delivery.
Public benefit? Sure - but union benefit too, it seems.
Contact the article's author
|
HOW ONE CHARITY GOT UNIONISED Barnardos is a good example of a charity with a large workforce
- and a long-standing UNISON link, dating back to a small NALGO
presence. After years of informal communication, the charity has now agreed formal recognition for UNISON after a ballot. The union now has 800 members out of a total workforce of around
5,000. Barrnardos UNISON branch secretary Brenda Farrell says the charity's
management quickly grasped the benefits that recognition and a
positive relationship with the union can bring. In the past, members and Barnardos staff could end up "frustrated" by policies which were introduced without proper negotiation. Now UNISON members can benefit not just from facility time but
what she describes as "fruitful negotiations" on terms
and conditions. The recruiting success at Barnardos has led to a nomination for next year's organising awards. |
LOTS MORE FEATURESIncluding stress in the workplace, getting out of debt and the pensions crisis more... |
© Copyright 2008
