Reaching Out to New Members Policy

General
Date: September 2005

Policy Framework

Develop organising strategies to organise HSU areas of coverage to increase union membership and density.

Develop industry strategy, identify potential organising targets and plan organising campaigns.

Build the amount of HSU resources, research and planning dedicated to the challenge of growing union membership.

Develop specialist skills and expertise required by HSU to implement growth strategies, including expanding the use in unions of specialist new member organising teams.

Increasing the use of innovative organising tactics including cooperative multi-branch industry and regional organising strategies.

Continuing to build organising focused approaches to union coverage.

As endorsed by the National Executive the National Office should co-ordinate a national response, plan and implementation of an organising strategy.

Part of the national strategy should include co-ordinating the development of organising tools such as paraphernalia, manuals, websites etc by drawing on the various resources of the branches where work has already been done on developing organising strategies and others such as the ACTU.

Resource, Research and Planning for Union Growth

The HSU will work to increase the amount of union resources dedicated to growing union membership and improve the quantity and quality of research and planning used to underpin union growth strategies through:

a) Considering options to fund union growth such as, dedicating a greater portion of recurrent union expenditures to growth, establishing a dedicated union organising fund, or including a growth fee or levy in union membership dues;

b) Increasing the use of industry and workplace mapping, research, analysis and planning to target and implement organising campaigns in non-union workplaces both within and across branches;

Unions are increasingly focused on the need to develop and fund strategies to renew, rebuild and grow union effectiveness and membership.

Increases in union fees or levies should include funding organising campaigns and strategies for union renewal and membership growth - including union education and activist development, as well as operating costs and to fund improved service delivery to union members.

The democratic involvement of union delegates and members is an important part of any proposal to increase the level of union membership fees.

3. Specialist Organising Teams

HSU will work to develop the use and competencies of specialist new member organising teams in unions by:

a) Unions actively considering the establishment of teams of specially selected and trained staff lead by experienced Lead Organisers to organise in new areas;

b) Ensure new member organising teams are properly resourced and able to focus exclusively on organising in non-union or poorly organised workplaces or industries;

c) Developing the use of project focused approaches to new member organising;

d) Building the new member organising skills and experience of Australian Lead Organisers through the establishment of an Exchange Program with appropriate overseas unions as well as utilising the ACTU Lead Organiser programs;and

e) Provide Organisers with the opportunity to increase skills and experience by participating in HSU Branch exchanges.

4. Innovative Organising Tactics & Union Organisation

Key initiatives over the next three years will include:

a) Increasing the use of organising tactics that maximise the opportunities for one-on-one discussions with non-union workers (face-to-face or over the phone) out of hours and away from the workplace;

b) Actively encouraging the development of joint branch approaches to organising in industries and areas;

c) Actively encouraging the development of joint, cooperative or single branch approaches to organising in regional areas;

d) Look at forming strategic alliances with like minded unions;

e) Continuing to build a comprehensive union campaigning capacity that integrates industrial, legal, political, community, investor and consumer activity to deliver better outcomes for working Australians;and

f) The HSU should pursue in all EBA award negotiations access to Orientation/inductions in the workplace.

5. Organising-Focused Approaches to Union Coverage

The main objective of the HSU is to improve wages and employment conditions. The method for achieving this is through union membership and organisation.

HSU policy on union coverage and organisation should promote union membership growth and union organisation, as the means to protect and improve wages and conditions of employment.

Establishing cooperative and effective working arrangements between branches often achieves the most beneficial outcomes for workers and unions. In cases where union coverage does overlap, the guiding principle should be to minimise competition and increase cooperation between branches.

6. The Responsibility to Organise

The first priority HSU has is the responsibility of maximising union membership within existing areas of coverage. Planning, analysis and the establishment of priority areas for organisation are required.

Each branch has an obligation under this policy to outline to the National Executive a strategy to organise in their areas of coverage to increase union membership and union density rates.

The key objective of policy in relation to non-union areas is to promote membership growth ('non-union area' generally means an area of work or workplace where the employees are not union members). Union membership and organisation strategies should focus on the recruitment of non-members.

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