Membership drives

The first two weeks of public services union UNISON’s latest recruitment drive saw over 9,000 members join the union, its national executive council (NEC) has been told.

Late September saw the union embark on its third intensive campaign of 2013 involving both organising on the ground and national advertising.

General secretary Dave Prentis told the NEC that September had been its best recruitment month this year. Also more people had been joining the union in 2013 than the previous year and more new joiners were young members. In a pointer to the way public services are moving, one in four new recruits came from the private and voluntary sectors.

However, the NEC agreed that it was critical to get new activists on the ground in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors, to ensure new members are supported when they join. “Without activists to support new members, there is the risk of losing them again,” it said.

And it added: “The most successful way of recruiting is still members and activists in branches talking to their colleagues about joining the union.”

General union Unite says 3,000 new members joined the union in the last quarter, dispelling accusations that it is only interested in confrontation.