National Delegate Conference 15-18 June 2010

'Organise, organise, organise!'

Gray Allan

"Organise, organise, organise!" was the rallying call from the key debate on organising at national delegate conference.

Proposing the composite motion on behalf of the national executive council, Bob Oram said: "We need to remind ourselves - our members are the union."

He told delegates that UNISON was "a union in motion," changing to an organising model, and that resources such as branch assessments were there precisely to be able to help branches grow and develop.

Falkirk's Gray Allan called on the NEC to investigate the different levels of admin support provided by branches and to report their findings to Conference in 2012, with proposals to ensure that all branches have adequate and equal levels of support.

ray recognised the big change in UNISON over the past 16 years from servicing to organising, with the creation of Local and Area Organiser posts which have had a big input into some branches. He pointed out, however, that there are still functions which need serviced, such as local negotiations, dealing with members problems etc. and that these tasks are easier for larger branches but can be an absolute burden for smaller branches.

"It is vitally important that every branch has the support and capacity to organise, recruit and represent every member," said Gray.

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