Recruitment success prompts targeting initiative

by John Keggie

Consistently good overall recruitment figures for the last year have prompted UNISONScotland to target areas of concern in particular workplaces in the spring of 2007.

Scotland's recruitment continues to lead UNISON's recruitment with figures month on month above the national target of 3%. We have a lot to be proud of, and we are in a good position to build from.

However, the density of membership in our large employers is showing some signs of concern. We have a large variance from area to area and from branch to branch. Over the coming months we are looking to have further dialogue with branches and activists, so we can provide support wherever possible in recruiting new members into UNISON.

March, April, and May will be important as we increase our support to branches, and target areas for recruitment. This will be in addition to the branch development activity already planned in a number of branches. We have a great opportunity to pool our resources and expertise, so we can work together on our agreed objective of building a strong and vibrant union for the future.

During March, Branch Development Officers will be contacting branches to discuss the opportunities that exist for recruitment throughout the remainder of the year.

We are also keen to establish a local recruitment officer in every branch so we can continue to develop our recruitment strategy. We presently have 161,000 members in UNISONScotland.

There is no reason why, by working together, we can't take that figure towards 200,000 by the end of the year. We recognise the heavy workload and competing priorities that are affecting everyone, and that is why the support and assistance we provide to branches is being reviewed.

Working together we can deal with the challenges we face and improve our recruitment rate at the same time. Many potential members in our work places that are not in the union deserve to be protected through membership of UNISON.

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