COMMUNICATE WITH MEMBERS AND WIN £100 FOR YOUR BRANCH!

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: january 2011 :: RMTnews 30 RMT has launched a competition to find the union’s best branch newsletter and best branch website, winners to be announced at this year’s annual general meeting. The competition will be judged by Press Association industrial correspondent Alan Jones and National Union of Journalists magazine editor Christine Buckley and the winners will each receive £100 for the branch courtesy of RMT insurance partners UIA. RMT’s Edinburgh branch has become the latest to launch its own website. It has already received around 2,000 hits and raised a lot of interest. Branch secretary Graham Buchanan said that as a result of this popular branch initiative - attendance at the last branch meeting doubled and a special branch surgery attracted thirty members. “Our website is completely free so we would encourage all our branches to set up a branch website," he said. RMT general secretary Bob Crow welcomed the fact that yet another RMT branch had improved communication with members by launching their own web site. “The Edinburgh branch's site is both punchy and informative and it's no surprise that it's already popular with members',” he said. Many other branches have set up branch websites as a means to keep members up to date with local and national issues. These branches include Bakerloo, Basingstoke No 1, Bristol Rail, Cardiff Rail, Carlisle City, Finsbury Park, London Underground Engineering, Offshore, Portsmouth, Surrey and Hants, Three Bridges and Waterloo. Regional councils have also taken the plunge and set up sites including South East regional council and London region has a web site called London Calling. Company councils at Arriva Trains Wales and South West Trains have set up sites to keep members up to date on industrial matters. Other websites are picture-led, highlighting local initiatives and include details of local events. Branch and regional newsletters are also proving an invaluable source of local information that does not appear in RMT News due to time and resource constraints. Branch officials can receive training in producing newsletters and RMT News will be running a series of articles about how to set up websites and blogs etc in the coming months. COMMUNICATE WITH MEMBERS AND WIN £100 FOR YOUR BRANCH! RMT launches competition to find the best branch newsletter and best branch website UIA is a mutual insurance company with over 100 years' experience of providing great value, high quality insurance to members of selected trade unions. Being mutual means UIA are owned by their policyholders; which enables them to keep premiums low, provide excellent products and employ highly trained staff. Products include home, motor, travel and pet insurance. For details call 0845 842 8421 or access www.rmtinsurance.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply. RMT is an Introducer Appointed Representative of UIA (Insurance) Ltd and UIA (Insurance Services) Ltd, which are both authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Travel insurance is under written by Ageas Insurance Ltd. Motor insurance is arranged and administered by UKAIS Limited. UIA Pet Insurance is arranged by Thornside Pet Healthcare Insurance and is underwritten by AXA Insurance UK PLC and administered by BDML Connect Ltd. All these companies are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.