Organising

RMT news – Organise R MT general secretary Bob Crow announced to delegates at the Annual General Meeting that membership had breached the 70,000 figure and that the breathtaking level of growth was showing no signs of abating. “If we can build on this great success then there is no reason why we will not reach 100,000 members within the next ten years. “But we should never forget for a second that our increased strength and ability to fight on behalf of our members comes with stronger levels of activity throughout our union,” he said. The union’s active organising strategy was implemented shortly after Bob was elected general secretary, when membership stood at 57,000. RMT is now by far the fastest growing union in the country. National organising co-ordinator Alan Pottage made clear that the more members RMT had, the more could be achieved. However, he said that the union must make sure that growth is matched with an increase in trained and active RMT reps that enjoy RMT support. “That is why we provide a training day for new reps shortly after each organising week had been completed,” he said. An active RMT rep in every workplace Every RMT region has now carried out a week of intense organising activity with thousands recruited for future organising. Alan noted that it was vital to leave every region with the intention of carrying out continuous follow up activity. “We now have active cadres of activists in all regions willing and capable of carrying out this vitally important task,” he said. The regional council in Scotland has already started to prepare for the next campaign by raising funds to ensure that larger branches help smaller branches. Every region has a ‘lead recruiter’ who, along with the regional secretary, is responsible for recruitment and retention. So what’s in the pipeline? The organising unit will meet with all lead recruiters this month to explain the need for all branches to prepare and implement individual plans. This forum will bring together key people from every region to share ideas and help solve problems. All regional organisers and a member of the organising unit will meet with branch secretaries and chairs to explain strategy in detail. “True success will come when all of our 240 branches are regularly carrying out activities designed to recruit workers into the union and we keep our members satisfied by ensuring that the problems at the workplace are being tackled and that all members are protected,” Alan said. Every region, every branch, every member Alan stressed the importance of motivating and involving every Regional Council, every branch and every member in recruitment and retention. “All of our elected representatives should be applying for paid release to explain the benefits of RMT membership to new employees and existing workers who are not members,” he said. He said that the organising unit was very much ‘hands on’ and that its staff were to be found in union offices as they were working with activists in the workplace - this could be a bus depot, a railway station, taxi rank or the engine room of a ship. “We are a transport union and we are appealing to more and more transport workers as a result of our ability to campaign and fight on behalf of our members, he said. Play your part Every member can play a part. Are all your workmates are in the union? If you think the unit should organise a campaign then let us know and we will work out a strategy. You can order your recruitment materials (pens, key rings, booklets, posters etc) by calling the RMT freephone help line on 0800 376 3706 and they will be sent out within 48 hours by Initial City Link – a company that recognises RMT. Membership rises to over 70,000 11 ORGANISE: Alan Pottage with the organising unit in Aberdeen last month Organising unit The Organising Unit is a cornerstone in RMT’s organising strategy. Standing now at five strong with the recent addition of Gerry Hitchen, they have toured the country reaching into pockets of poor organisation and helping to plan and drive forward local initiatives. We often help local activists in the most difficult areas. Alan said that the emphasis is on building the union to our maximum strength. “We can only do this by increasing our strength on the ground in every single workplace so we have set ourselves targets to achieve,” he said. G National Organising Co-ordinator Alan Pottage 07734 088 305 Recruitment & Retention Organisers: Donald Graham 07753 748 074, John Milligan 07753 748 147, Roddy Keenan 07793 052 138 and Gerry Hitchen 07834 352 834.