Supporting and developing young members and activists within the UNISON Local Government Service Group

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Conference
2024 Local Government Service Group Conference
Date
19 February 2024
Decision
Carried as Amended

Conference recognises the importance of recruiting and organising young workers within the local government service group. Sustainable recruitment of young workers is essential if UNISON is to maintain a strong and relevant presence within local government. Focusing on recruiting young workers will help UNISON to grow in strength in the coming years. As a trade union we have a vital role in protecting young workers and ensuring that their rights are respected.

Conference notes that recruitment of younger workers has been an area of strength in UNISON in recent years, but that young members are still under-represented as activists, including as workplace stewards and health and safety reps, branch officers, delegates to conferences, and members of regional and national committees.

It is essential that young workers are supported to take on activist roles within UNISON and to develop as activists. Young workers joining UNISON today are the union leaders of tomorrow. It is also important that young workers’ voices are heard across the service group, so that their concerns form part of our bargaining and campaigning agenda.

Conference notes the rule change passed at National Delegate Conference 2023 redefining ‘young members’ in UNISON as everyone aged 30 and under. Conference believes this is an important opportunity to evaluate the service group’s approach to young workers, identifying challenges and successes and sharing best practice to branches wishing to recruit and organise more young workers.

Conference calls on the Local Government Service Group executive to:

1) Work with the National Young Members Forum to evaluate the current situation regarding recruitment of young members and development of young activists across the local government service group;

2) Work with Regional Local Government Committees and Regional Young Member Forums to identify and share examples of successes and best practice in working with young members across the local government service group;

3) Review existing guidance on organising young workers in local government and consider whether this needs to be refreshed or developed;

4) Work with the National Young Members Forum to identify barriers to young members getting active in UNISON local government branches, and to develop strategies to address them;

5) Encourage regional Local Government Committees to establish mentoring schemes for young members, pairing young members with experienced activists in their regions;

6) Promote existing materials on recruiting, organising and supporting young members in the workplace, including the local government guidance on mentoring schemes for young Black members, the National Young Members Forum’s report on ‘Getting Active in UNISON’, and other relevant materials;

7) Encourage branches to support young members to attend UNISON conferences and events either as delegates or visitors;

8) Recruit and organise young workers entering the workforce through apprenticeship degrees and graduate recruitment schemes;

9) Work with the National Young Members Forum to promote their campaigns and initiatives to young members in local government, and supporting their efforts to get more young members involved in the work and structures of the union.