BUILDING THE UNION

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: march 2011 :: RMTnews 28 RMT has just held the first ever five day training course on organising at the union’s education centre in Doncaster, purchased as a result of over 30,000 new members joining RMT in recent years. Eleven activists attended to learn more about our union’s successful organising strategy that has seen membership rise and the union’s database of activists and reps double to 5,000. It was particularly good to see activists from road, maritime and rail backgrounds attending the course, as it reflects RMT’s priority of treating all members equally. The course emphasised the need to stick to the union’s organising strategy in order to strengthen organisation, protect more workers and achieve more for members. The course looked at the need to have branch plans in place, including essential dates for organising activities. It also looked at how branches should map their area of responsibility. One example identified 14 locations that will be visited every month, and the branch concerned has set two days every month until the end of 2011. Each location has also been mapped to show the density of existing membership and the number of non-members. Branch plans should be simple and effective. They don’t need to be complicated academic exercises that look great but in themselves achieve nothing. And that was the key conclusion: keep it simple, keep it regular and keep on organising at full volume. Preparation is vital in all our organising endeavours. We need to prepare what we say and we need to prepare recruitment materials. Notice-boards need to be updated and colourful. We need to plan in advance and involve all reps and activists. The activists on the course appreciated the role-play exercises that were set to show the difficulties encountered when out organising. They also developed presentations aimed at groups of workers, such as induction classes. One group was so inspired that they went down to Doncaster railway station and started organising the taxi drivers – and Trevor Howard from Leeds Goods and Cartage branch reported a positive response with 60 potential new members. You can’t get a better indicator of the success of our course than that. But organising isn’t easy. Sometimes we get the theory right but don’t implement it. For example, in 1997 the union created lead recruiters in all RMT regions. These activists were to be the union’s ‘best recruiters’ and were to provide a much-needed focus on organising. So lead recruiters, including myself in Scotland, were elected and the union held an impressive launch at Unity House. But despite the feeling that at long last an important step forward had been made, there was no long-term sustainable plan and the lead recruiters were soon left to their own devices. Fourteen years on it was felt important to rejuvenate this important role – but this time to ensure they get the support they deserve. YOUNG MEMBERS The course also looked at how the Young Members’ section has been transformed into a vibrant and energetic outfit that is a tribute to the union. Only nine delegates attended the annual young members’ conference in 2008, but this year more than 50 registered for the recent conference in Plymouth. So a bit of energy and self organisation can work wonders. The course also looked at our history – to 1919, just after the First World War. Conditions were extremely hard, yet over 550,000 members were organised into the forerunner of RMT. This was achieved while dealing with hostile private employers without the benefits of recognition, email, mobile phones, direct debits or paybill deductions. It was achieved by hard graft, with branches and officials visiting workplaces day in, day out. Today’s strategy is based around learning from these real life experiences, and it is important to put our difficulties into perspective: if our forebears could do it in 1919 then we can do it in 2011. Examples of union organisers facing the most severe consequences were also discussed which again gave us an important perspective. The activists felt the course, put together by the Organising Unit’s Donald Graham, was a huge success, and we look forward to helping organise many more activists in the years to come. Recent publications Organising Strategy and Recruitment Guide are free to members and explain the RMT organising strategy in depth. They can by ordered by email: org.unit@rmt.org.uk or freephone 0800 376 3706. BUILDING THE UNION Alan Pottage of the union’s organising unit explains RMT’s organising strategy, recently described by Professor John Kelly as ‘an example for other unions to follow’