Congress praises star organisers

A union activist who single-handedly signed up 257 new members and two more who achieved union recognition for young agency workers have been recognised by the TUC for their achievements.

Every year at its Congress, the TUC highlights outstanding achievements by union reps in various categories. And this year’s Organising Rep award was won jointly by Irene Stacey of UNISON’s Newham local government branch and PCS activists Lisa Burns and Lynda Stephenson.

Stacey helped her branch to expand its numbers by 400 over 12 months as part of UNISON’s “Challenge X” recruitment campaign. “I always carry recruitment forms with me, whether it’s one or 10,” she explained as she accepted the award. “If you sign up just one member, that’s one member who’s got UNISON protection.”

Most of the new recruits are women working part-time as catering or cleaning staff and from ethnic minorities, and 40 have gone on to become union reps or contacts themselves.

Burns and Stephenson led a two-year recognition campaign among 600 agency workers, most of them young people, at the British Cattle Movement Service. They and a team of organisers held face-to-face meetings with almost all the workers, obtaining more 350 signatories to the PCS recognition petition. The final result was a 100% vote in favour of recognition, on a 64% turnout.