Fighting for our members is the best advertisement there is...

So, we’re going back on the telly to recruit new members!

Just like last time this hasn’t been discussed by the NEC Development and Organisation Committee (the Committee with responsibility for recruitment) – I assume it will once more be funded from our General Political Fund. Of course this is a lay led Union and we don’t just have NEC Committees so that the Chairs can do as the officers request…

Full marks for recruitment effort of course, but the evidence is that surges in recruitment are associated with our Union waging vigorous national struggles to protect and advance the interests of our members. The latest attempt to harness a great “effort of will” to recruit has been associated with relatively disappointing recruitment figures.

In London local government we made gains in membership when we fought over London Weighting – and nationally in local government we put on a lot of members as a result of the 2002 National pay dispute. More recently we have gained members when we have taken a hard line in defence of pensions.

2007 has been a disappointing year for recruitment to the Union thus far. It has also been a disappointing year for those who wanted to fight to defend the pension rights of all our members.

Can you spot the possible connection here?