Union organising work recognised

Print union GPMU and finance union UNIFI have emerged as winners in new TUC awards for outstanding organising work.

The GPMU won its award for a successful recognition campaign at a "greenfield site". According to the TUC, the campaign at Romeika Media Intelligence "demonstrated the potential of trade unions to reach out to workers in the emerging media and new media areas."

The union recruited 200 new members and trained 30-plus activists.

Meanwhile UNIFI was deemed top of the league for "real improvements where a union already has recognition" - in its case Lloyds TSB.

The union used staff surveys and focus groups to inform its recruitment and representation efforts, resulting in the recruitment of 4,000 members since September 2001.

Meanwhile two young trade unionists, Jamie Major of the GPMU and Wayne Geoghan of rail staff union TSSA, also won organising awards which will enable them to visit the US to develop their recruitment skills.

TUC general secretary John Monks said: 'These awards ... have been set up to encourage, inform and develop the best examples of unions in the workplace."