PCS WALES ORGANISING STRATEGY

JEFF EVANS

SENIOR NATIONAL OFFICER FOR WALES

AUSTRALIAN WISDOM

“Members don’t leave their union because it charges too much. They leave because their union is pissweak”

Tony Maher Australian Miner’s union

PCS - WHO ARE WE?

Vast majority of our members work for Central Government Departments (civil servants)

Growing Private Sector – Companies with Central Government contracts

Union is 10 years old this year – product of several union mergers – generally considered to be a success

10 YEARS OF PCS GROWTH

265000

270000

275000

280000

285000

290000

295000

300000

305000

1998 2008

HONEYMOON IS OVER!

2004 UK Government announce 104,000 (one in five) civil service job cuts by 2008

2008 – 2011 Further 5% year on year cuts in main civil service Departments

“Running hard to stand still” First time in decade membership decreased

last year

UK POLITICAL CONTEXT TROUBLED WATERS

Job Cuts, Privatisation and Pay Restraint Organising paradox – adversity produces favourable organising

climate

“angry or threatened staff are more likely to join and become active in a union”

Multitude of civil service strikes– Biggest surges in PCS membership are in the weeks

leading to strikes– Galvanises branch organisation eg National Museum of

Wales PCS’s best recruiter – Gordon Brown

PCS WALES MEMBERSHIP

March 2008 – 22,150 (302,094) Membership Density (approx) – 65% MORE THAN 10,000 NON MEMBERS OUT

THERE FOR THE TAKING !

STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN

60% OF PCS MEMBERS IN WALES BASED IN 3 DEPARTMENTS (HMRC/DWP/DFT)

15.6% OF PCS MEMBERS IN WALES WORK FOR DEVOLVED (ASSEMBLY) GOVERNMENT

22,150 MEMBERS BASED IN 77 BRANCHES AVERAGE SIZE OF BRANCH = 287 MEMBERS

ORGANISING – A DEFINITION

“BEING AN ORGANISING UNION IS ABOUT GETTING BACK TO THE ROOTS OF TRADE UNIONISM. IT IS ABOUT ADOPTING A CULTURE AND WAY OF WORKING THAT INTEGRATES ORGANISING INTO EVERY LEVEL OF THE UNION AND EVERY ASPECT OF UNIONS WORK”

PCS Branch Briefing – ‘Organising to Win’

WHY ORGANISING?

INCREASES OUR ABILITY TO RECRUIT AND RETAIN MEMBERS

BETTER ABLE TO REPRESENT MEMBERS INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY

ENHANCES OUR INFLUENCE OVER THE EMPLOYER AND GOVERNMENT

BARRIERS IN OUR WAY

REPS OVERLOAD LACK OF STRATEGIC PLANNING IN BRANCHES ‘MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO’ UNREPRESENTATIVE APATHETIC MEMBERSHIP LACK OF SUCCESSION PLANNING IN BRANCHES DIFFICULTY IN FILLING UNION VACANCIES INCREASINGLY UNCO-OPERATIVE MANAGEMENT

WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE?

More reps and distributors (a voice in every workplace) All branches/groups to have appointed organisers and strategic

organising plans Better trained reps with identified training path – personal training

plans Representatives to reflect members in terms of gender, ethnicity,

age, etc Regular and effective communication with members – more face to

face contact (e-mail is useful but can negate organising) Greater membership participation in PCS activity (Organising

around issues) Mentoring and supporting the next generation of representatives Enhance linkage between bargaining and organising Networking reps – sharing best practice Strategic alliances with other unions and external bodies

HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THIS?

NATIONAL ORGANISING STRATEGY– supporting branches and groups to map, produce plans,

encourage involvement of under-represented groups including young members and link recruitment to campaigning activity

PCS WALES PLAN SEPT 2007/8– PCS Wales Organising Forum– Annual Organisers Conference– All Wales Membership reports –

PCS WALES DELIVERY

More Lay involvement PCS Wales decision making process – bottom up not top down

Focus on outcomes rather than process – strategic planning

Organising agenda to underpin everything we do

THE FUTURE............

Organising approach now well embedded in UK and is here to stay

Next generation of union leaders, including those from Training Academy, will be pro-organising

Globalisation will mean greater international focus for unions

More strategic political focus – Labour Party? Greater union collaboration (eg public sector) Unions in the Community – strategic alliances