UNISON Community Annual Seminar & Conference 24 - Day 1 "Supporting organising in Community Hybrid Workplaces"

Belated report from my speech at day one of UNISON National Community Conference earlier this month. I was moving an amendment to motion 1.

"Conference, Vice President, John Gray, moving amendment 1.1 on behalf of the SGE.

May I start by congratulating my London sister branch C&V org for this really important motion and make it clear from the off, that this is intended to be a friendly amendment by your SGE, intended to improve and expand the motion.

Also, to be absolutely clear, while there are real and significant challenges to organising in a hybrid workplace but there are enormous opportunities as well.

Now, community member employers come in all shapes and sizes. Let me tell my story. My employer, a very large housing association, has 4000 employees spread all over England in every single unison region, with 24 different offices and 100s of smaller workplaces such as caretaking lock ups, hostels or warden controlled sheltered housing blocks. A majority of staff are now, to a lesser or greater degree, hybrid workers, including most of our unison reps.

Pre covid pandemic, it was incredibly hard for our stewards to organise across this fragmented and geographical diverse workforce.

As dreadful as the pandemic was, it has resulted in an opportunity for us to organise effectively, to hold regular virtual meetings of reps, with national officers, with members. We are going through our annual pay claim and have had planning and consultation meetings with 90% of reps attending and participating in “real time”. Pre pandemic we really struggled to get reps to meet centrally.

Recently there has been a proposed restructure of our IT department potentially impacted over 150 workers who are based in London, Norwich, Plymouth, and Manchester. We were able to organise 2 virtual well attended open meetings with these workers and undertook a series of collective and collaborative online meetings and teams messaging to put together constructive challenge and counter proposals intended to save jobs and conditions but also improve the service. Again, this would have so difficult to have organised in the past.

It is not all good, especially for younger workers, who may be living in a privately rented HMO and don’t have a spare room but are expected somehow to work from their bedroom with a laptop, literally, on their lap.

The best technology is frankly no real substitute for face-to-face meeting and personal conversations and there will always remain a vital role for in-person meetings and representation.

Conference, the necessary debate about the pros and cons of home working is sometimes framed as “all or nothing”. You are expected to think it either the best thing since sliced bread or some sort of an evil conspiracy by big tech.

We know it is more complicated than this.

Conference, please support this amendment and the motion as amended. Let’s get organised in all our workplaces, in person… virtual and hybrid.

Remember we are not just individual volunteers, we are a collective and we do our best as a collective when we work effectively and truly represent all union members. Conference I move".

On the knocker in Plaistow South 25 March

On Saturday 25 March I helped out again, the Plaistow South Labour Party branch on a campaign day with local Councillors and activists. The weather was kind to us this time being unseasonably warm and sunny.

There are no elections planned in London for 2017 (apart from local by elections) The top issues on this door knock was "Parking" and "Rubbish". A new Parking zone was welcomed by many residents and criticised by some. You cannot please all the people all the time when it comes to parking.

Newham Council charges for the collection of bulk rubbish items was discussed and whether it increased fly tipping or not. I think there was however agreement that there had been fly tripping even when Newham did not charge for removal.

Interesting discussion about trade union organising with a ward member who is a GMB activist in their private hire professional driver branch. The growing "uber economy" many be generating huge profits for some entrepreneurs but is bad news for many workers.  Check out this amazing video of Uber founder https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/feb/28/uber-ceo-travis-kalanick-driver-argument-video-fare-prices

(Finally note to myself as a branch organiser. One thing that all the canvassers agreed upon is that having double sided canvass sheets is more trouble than it is worth. Political canvassers of all persuasions will know what I mean. The Greens may not agree).

Trade union renewal and the role of ideology, organising and servicing.

UNISONActive had an interesting post recently "Ideology - an essential component of union growth strategies". It argued that having an organising agenda alone does not work and that unions ought to be more "political". Organising is defined as  "empowering workers at work and in their union".

The American trade union SEIU has a world wide reputation for organising yet this has not resulted in an increase in trade union membership.  Instead this post believes that "Our core message has to address social injustice and the failure of market economies".

I tend to agree but I don't necessarily see any conflict with an union pursuing political goals as well as an organising model except of course that unions don't have unlimited resources so some form of prioritisation has to take place. 

Yet the solution offered is to "empower workers with an anti-caplitalist ideology". Which unsurprisingly as a fully paid up mixed economy reformist I don't agree with. We need to control the excesses of capitalism by political regulation, progressive taxation, quality public services and strong free trade unions. 

"Ideology" has always been a problem for unions but it is good to debate this issue and hopefully come to a consensus on what we can agree upon for the here and now.

I also think we should also mention in any discussion on trade union renewal the much maligned "servicing" model of trade unionism. I am a huge fan of organising and empowering members and stewards but if members need help at work then they have the right to expect speedy, responsive and competent representation. The best person to represent members on personal or collective issues is a trained, confident local rep who has the support of the membership. But reps need the support of the union and where there is no such local rep the union needs to be there.

Finally, we also need to think that if the Anglo-American school of trade unionism is declining then should we not be looking at those countries in Northern Europe where they seem to be more successful than us with much higher density levels and better protections for workers? 

UNISON phone bank: 500 calls for Ken!

Picture is from last night's phone bank on the 5th floor of the UNISON HQ in Euston.  After some previous teething problems this high tech system really worked. The software enables you to go from call to call to call entering information via clicks on a mouse.

We made over 500 calls to UNISON members in Tower Hamlets. Far more than if we had to use the traditional pen and paper system.

At home recently I have been tele-canvassing my ward and it is so slow and cumbersome. Then you have to get the information manually inputted into Contact Creator (the Labour Party Election computer programme).  

This is exactly the sort of "hands on" political organising that trade unions need to do. Instead of just writing cheques and making supportive statements we need to be out there engaging with our members.

Interestingly members on the whole were pleased to be contacted by their union and I had some decent conversations with them about a number of issues not just elections. So I think its good for the Union to have this contact with our members as well.

UNISON Community Conference 2010: Hidden Workforce project

This is a bit late but I am finally typing out my report to my union Branch on last month’s first ever Community Service Group conference.  Check out previous reports here and here about the mornings events.

During lunch there were two fringes for delegates to choose from.  One on the Personalisation Agenda (implications of the disabled and elderly controlling their own care budgets) and the other on UNISON Hidden Workforce Project.  I went for the Hidden Workforce fringe as I had heard about the project but wasn’t that sure what it was about.  The other fringe had sandwiches and coffee and was very well attended while ours did not and was not that well attended.  Purely co-incidental of course!

The project is a pilot funded by the last government (those were the days!) looking into ways to protect workers who provide public sector services but had been outsourced from the public to the private and voluntary sector.  In particular vulnerable groups such as migrant workers who are more susceptible to exploitation - such as not being paid the national minimum wage, 0 hours contracts and bogus self-employment.  In particular cleaners and kitchen staff in schools and hospitals.  However, it is not just about migrant workers - but anyone who has been outsourced (even me).

The pilot is looking at using technology so that members, new activists and stewards can keep in touch.  Especially mobile phones and text messaging. The number of Mobile phones exceed the population of the UK by 130% and 87% of people of all ages have mobiles.  Migrant workers in particular use mobiles. From the organising point of view if you have a credit card and access to the internet you could set up a texting communication service with a free text back facility in 15 minutes.   The approach in low union density workplaces is to concentrate on collective issues that affect everyone not case work.  New and potential members are told that “we can’t do this for you – you will have to do it for yourselves” (which must be difficult to tell people). Then build by campaigning, get a few wins and once density is built - go for recognition. 

I have some concerns about this model but pleased that UNISON is trying different things out.  We face a huge problem if we just do nothing.  At the moment 75% of public services are “in-house” and there is a 33% UNISON density.  In contracted out services there is only a 10% density.  If more and more services are contracted out and the 10% density remains the same - then do the maths for the future of the union. 

UNISON NDC 2010: Organising and CONDEMNATION

 This is my last NDC 2010 post. Picture of London UNISON regional convenor Gloria Hanson outside conference with a very suitable sign. 

This is a speech I did for the Friday morning "Organising" debate (but was "bumped off").

"Conference, President, John Gray HAB, Greater London region speaking in favour of Composite A.

I think that all of us welcome the opportunity to debate the “bread and butter” issue of organising in our union. I’m surprised that no-one has mentioned that old chestnut “organise or die” but I think we all know in our heart of hearts that the future growth and development of the union is the most important matter we need to get right this week.

Conference, as Dave mentioned in his address on Tuesday, we are facing a “perfect storm” - a coalition government which is an open enemy of trade unionism. A government which is committed to savage spending cuts and is going to use wholesale privatisation as one of the ways to bring this about. That means our jobs, our pensions and our terms & conditions.

To resist and defend we must have high densities of members in all branches, in all regions and all services groups. We need trained and properly supported stewards, safety, learning and equality reps in every single workplace. We need effective back up from regional and national office. Nothing less will be acceptable. Otherwise the important issues we have discussed this week will just be hot air.

To give you an idea of the organising challenges facing us from a Community Service Group perspective. I am the branch secretary of a branch with 3500 members, located mainly in London but we also have a range of members working from Southampton to Peterborough. We have some 130 different employers – big and small. My own employer has offices located in 4 different UNISON regions and covered by 7 different UNISON branches.

So conference. I welcome the commitment in this composite to set a target of 1.5 million members; the commitment to tackle “inequality in representation”; the 100 new organising staff; the 3 companies’ project and the Living wage campaign. Also, to no-one’s surprise who knows me I welcome the commitment to greater use of information technology and even new social media.

Conference, please support this composite and go back to your branches next week and make organising number one on your agenda".

Stop talking, start doing!

The key message given by Bob Oram NEC member North West at last week's leadership school in respect of organising was "Stop talking, start doing! Everyone now says we are an organising union, yet what does that mean? If we were not about organising in the first place then what are we about?” ...

Check out UNISONactive take on the recent leadership course here.

“Building Stronger Unions – Organising the Future”

I will admit that I am not always over impressed with Labour movement conferences. While they are mostly pretty important, some are worthy but boring, educative but dull and insular.

On the bright side, I normally feel much rejuvenated while I queue up at such events to register alongside other delegates. Looking around me I suddenly feel comparatively younger, slimmer and that my hair isn’t really that grey after all.

This conference was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the TUC Organising Academy as well as debating the development of organising in UK trade unions.

However, yesterday at Congress House, as soon as I walked down the stairs into the lower hall area I could see something was different, as the place was absolutely packed with predominantly young trade union organisers. Maybe with its Organising Academy, the TUC has finally found a solution to the age old argument in trade unions about the role of organising and servicing, and there again maybe they haven’t. But this conference surely pointed a way forward at long last.

As well as being predominately young there were also many women delegates. Not so many black delegates but a great start.

There was definitely a modern US rally “feel” with activist speakers on the main platform telling “my organising story” as well as loud stirring music and on screen video clips.

I’ve taken notes about speakers and hopefully I will post further on what I thought was useful or topical. Below is a short snapshot of stuff I found interesting from some of the main speakers.

TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady – there are 3 million employees in workplaces which are covered by collective agreements who are not trade union members, 2/3 report that they have never been asked to join. Organising makes the difference between “Begging and Bargaining” “Winning or Losing”.

Christine Blower, NUT Acting General Secretary on a very similar theme “United we Bargain, Divided we Beg”.

Jack Dromey, UNITE general Secretary believes in “Strong, self confident, self sustaining workplace power”. With regard to unions fighting each other over recruitment he did not want UNITE to “Out UNISON, UNISON in care homes” (interesting). In relationships with employers he wanted unions to be “Partners not Pussycats”.

More to follow about this conference in future posts.

An excellent conference. It has given me a number of good ideas about organising within my employer. Let’s get busy, lets organise!