Comments on Ian's UNITE Site: Report from UNITE Manchester Area Activists Confer...

It's healthy that there should be a debate about o...

2009-10-10T17:25:29.970+01:00

It's healthy that there should be a debate about organising strategy - it's crucial for our future. I think it's great that unions are trying to grasp this nettle, but none are getting it perfect.

Frankly Demos, your comments seem more like an attempt to plug an obscure web site obsessed with the SEIU than any constructive contribution to the debate about how we can do better.

I'll continue to post genuine comments, whether I agree with them or not, but future posts which don't really say anything apart from trying to generate web traffic will be blocked.

Ian.

Further to my query see what Unison NEC members ar...

2009-10-08T10:53:23.193+01:00

Further to my query see what Unison NEC members are starting to ask in relation to their Union's relationship with SEIU:

http://jonrogers1963.blogspot.com/2009/10/threes-company.html

Some questions more relevant to Unison than Unite but the replies will be interesting.

Ian, No complaints about honesty regarding membe...

2009-10-08T10:43:43.055+01:00

Ian,

No complaints about honesty regarding membership figures - agree that deadwood needs to be removed.

But the 1.9M and 1.6M are the last two years figures submitted to the Certification Officer.

And as you would know as an EC member the July 09 UNITE EC report states that membership stands at 1,334,167.

Raises the question - is the close relationship with SEIU and wholesale adoption of their organising model working for Unite?

As an EC member are the EC challenging the performance of the organising department and holding it to account?

Of course I'm concerned about the drop in membersh...

2009-09-30T22:58:51.235+01:00

Of course I'm concerned about the drop in membership, but the figures you quote on your web site are ridiculous.

Most of the drops are about cleaning up membership records of people who haven't been paying subs for years. A long overdue piece of political honesty in my opinion.

To try to blame this on the SEIU, which has plenty of faults I'm sure, looks more like you're grinding an axe than trying to look reality in the face.

There is, however, a drop in paying membership as well. This reflects the fact that our recruitment hasn't kept pace with the rate of membership loss due to members retiring and in recent months, leaving when they lose their jobs.

In my opinion, unions can grow in a recession, if they are seen as effective in resisting the attempts of employers to make working people pay the price of a recession we didn't create. We're having great success in some areas, but nowhere near widely enough.

I think strengthening the activist base and putting the emphasis heavily on campaigning and organising (not merely servicing or recruitment) is the key to making unions more effective. If they prove effective they will grow too.

Hi Ian, Good to see your coverage of activist ar...

2009-09-30T19:11:15.442+01:00

Hi Ian,

Good to see your coverage of activist area conferences.

But as an EC member are you concerned about the dramatic drop in Unite membership?

At this site there's the suggestion that the SEIU-organising (former T&G-side) might be to blame:

http://labourmovementtruth.blogspot.com/2009/09/unison-going-to-go-same-way-as-unite.html

As a strong grass-roots activist I'm interested in what you think.