Introducing a motion on organsing and recruiting, Sue Highton for the NEC told UNISON’s national delegate conference in Liverpool today that it was “about facing up to the future”.
Outsourcing now means there are many different employers in public services. That doesn’t mean that “we welcome the changes”, she noted, but “as a union, we have to adapt”.
Diane Kelly from the North West stressed how important recruitment is in building the density and power that will enable the union to be more effective in its campaigning.
Without members, another delegate noted, “even the best strategy will be pointless”, and conference heard that organising and recruitment should be part of every single union campaign.
Eric Roberts for the NEC told the hall that: “we all know that recruitment is the lifeblood. If we stop recruiting … we die: simple as.
“But we’re good at it – we’ve seen that in the last few months.
“There isn’t one best way of recruiting … but the single most effective way is still by going into the workplace and talking to people.”
Andrea Woods of Sefton told delegates that “this motion continues building on the work of the last few years and fighting austerity”.
She stressed the importance of equalities in organising and recruiting, and added that activists should not assume that they knew what issues were particularly relevant to a potential member.
Bev Miller from the national Black members’ committee highlighted recent recruitment successes that had come about “because we worked together as a whole union”.
But, she added, “recruitment without organising is dangerous, like a house built on sand.”
Conference backed a number of actions, giving both the NEC and the regions a number of instructions for developing recruitment and organising.
And a further motion underlined the importance not only of recruiting young members, but of training them to be activists and future leaders of UNISON.
“If there is no youth in the union,” one delegate said, “then the union has no future.”
