National Delegate Conference 21-24 June 2011

'Get organised and stay strong' in the Private and Community sector

Elaine Duffy

Conference backed a call to support members in the private and community sector with 14 recommendations and suggestions to branches and regions, along with a national strategy for representating of a fragmented workforce.

Some branches were finding it "difficult to support people in these sectors", sometimes having to deal with 150 employers.

Steven Brown of Quarriers graphically outlined the problem of organising a branch of "600 members, from Elgin to Bath, with 10 stewards".

But Elaine Duffy, from Scottish Electricty Branch, also had a positive organising lesson to tell conference.

She told delegates how her job had been privatised in 1990, then outsourced to an American company in 2000.

"Although I hade been a union member then for 20 years and had partcipated in meetings and industrial action, I had managed to avoid being an activist."

But like so many of us, she found herself 'volunteering' to be a steward.

"When I became a steward in 2011 we had gone from 100% density as a previous closed shop to 40%", explained Elaine.

People were being persuaded on to personal contracts, giving up their union membership and collective bargaining rights. But 10 years after outsourcing, the union has organised and rebuilt.

"We have retained all the terms and conditions we had transferred on and we've negotiated some improvements. We have an above infaltion pay rise every year bar one. We negotiated a grading worth over £8,000 to 59% of our members", said Elaine.

Six years ago members voted by 80% for action over pay and gave their negotiators the strength to get the employer to back down.

"Five years ago, I didn't have a holiday as all my holidayes were used on trade union duties", said Elaine. "This week I am attending Conference on full facility time a now we havce a facilities agreement that alows members to participate fully in regional and national activities and self organised groups".

With 80% density now, the branch is looking to extend the scope of collective bargaining.

One the reasons for this success was the local joint bargaining committees called for in the motion

"When we were outsourced our members covered two branches", said Elaine. One was in Scotland and the other in the North East.

"The first thing we did was to get together and set up a joint bargaining committee... We work together, we learn from each other and we are stronger as a result.

"We have not had it easy since we were outsourced", Elaine told delegates. "I am just concluding my fourth TUPE transfer. But we are stronger than ever. Learn from very difficult experiences, get organised and stay strong!"

http://www.unison.org.uk/conference2011/news_view.asp?did=6984

top