T&G campaign produces steep rise in recruitment

The first 250 target workplaces in the T&G general union's "100% Membership Campaign" have put on over 3,000 members, the union says.

The campaign is about "infill" recruitment in unionised workplaces where organisation has sometimes been run down.

One of the T&G's successes is Knowsley council, where membership has grown from 500 to over 1,000. Ten new members are being recruited every week, and many more shop stewards have been elected.

Council convenor Dave Shaw told the T&G members' newspaper: "We mapped all council buildings and colour-coded those which needed to be covered at different times of day." The union now organises in all council areas.

Membership has also doubled in building supplies firm Marshalls, which has 26 sites. The company said it would only recognise the union if a third of employees at each site signed up - so shop stewards developed an action plan with Sharon Graham, T&G national secretary for organisation and development, identifying concerns such as the introduction of new technologies.

"By organising around the issues directly affecting Marshalls' workers, we were able to rapidly increase membership," Graham said.

Membership at Marshalls is now 973, and there are 29 shop stewards plus a senior steward working full-time on union issues. The T&G has recognition at 21 sites, and the remaining five look set to follow soon.