Organising in the school/college

Organising for the NASUWT is about emphasising the main ideas and purpose of our trade union. Workplace organising is a key activity for any NASUWT Representative.

The NASUWT sees members as:

• part of a collective, social organisation - members are the Union;

• best able to identify issues of concern in the workplace;

• having ownership of those issues;

• taking responsibility for and, with the help of others, resolving the issues;

• identifying with and participating in the Union;

• being proud of their Union;

• realising that they are the Union.

The NASUWT wants activists and Representatives to be able to:

• closely identify with members;

• work in partnership with members;

• reflect members’ concerns;

• where appropriate, agitate and articulate concerns of members to management;

• resist the temptation to take on all responsibility for resolving members’ problems;

• respond to the question, ‘What is the Union going to do about this?’ with, ‘You are the Union. With our help, what are you going to do about this?’

By getting the relationship right between members and activists, we hope to:

• get more members participating in the Union by taking responsibility for their own workplace issues;

• encourage new activists by letting them know they are not expected to take complete responsibility for all members;

• grow the Union in terms of activists and members.

In this context, the role of the NASUWT Representative should be to:

Build

• From putting material on the notice board to speaking with colleagues about joining the Union, you will find it easier when you share the load. Ask other NASUWT members to help you do your job. Build a team that can help you do the things that need doing.

• Build the membership by finding someone willing to take responsibility for helping with recruitment. They could approach new teachers when they join the workplace, speak to student teachers on placements and speak to colleagues who they feel might want to join the Union.

• ‘Mapping’ is important. If you are in a big workplace, you might want to find a member in each department or site who can help keep track of members’ details and report the information back. Alternatively, you might want to speak to members before or after each term to report changes such as moves, retirement, changes of name etc. to the Local Association Secretary. There are many ways to map, but it is important to keep accurate records so that the Union can function most effectively.

• Take the time to build relationships with other unions and senior leaders. Being able to approach individuals to form alliances or deal with informal issues is important. If a colleague is confident with this type of activity, then talk about how you might be able to build these relationships together.

Engage

• Get together with members and talk generally about the issues they face, the Union or education in the news. Feeling that the Union is accountable and listening is important for members.

• Regular formal meetings are necessary too. Give members the opportunity to engage with each other and discuss issues that they might have. Briefing them on Union news is vital to ensuring they can effect change through the Union’s democratic structures.

• It is essential that your school is represented at Local Association meetings. These meetings keep your workplace engaged with the wider NASUWT community. Your Local Association Secretary can help you and give advice when you need it. If you cannot get to a Local Association meeting yourself, ask other members in your school to do so.

• Engage effectively with school management and report back to NASUWT members regularly on all discussions/developments. Ensure members are kept apprised of wider issues affecting their terms and conditions.

Inform

• Organise ways to pass on information to members within the school. If members share different lunch times or are in different departments, delegate responsibility to pass on information. Develop a system in which members can feed back on news, so you can decide whether a member’s meeting is necessary to address any recurring concerns.

• Do your best to make sure that Union notice boards are up to date and that you are publicising the material that the Union sends out. If another member is willing to take on this responsibility, make arrangements for them to join the team.

Empower

• Where you feel it is possible to ‘group’ members’ concerns, encourage them to get together and suggest ways forward and encourage them to act together as the Union.

• Have conversations with members about how they can contribute to the direction of the Union at work. Do not be tempted to ‘service’ members and try to meet their needs yourself. Organise them by delegating responsibility so that they can effect their own change.

• The NASUWT wants all minority and under-represented groups within the Union to participate. Black, disabled, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI), women and young members should be encouraged and if there are issues at work, or within education, that specifically relate to a minority group, we should empower them to make changes by engaging them within the Union’s structure.

• Identify training needs of members, whether union training or continuing professional development (CPD), and make representations on their behalf.

Realism

Realistically, organising is about increasing the number of activists and participating members to as high a percentage as is practicable. Activists/Representatives operating in an organising environment will be more proactive. We cannot achieve this type of organising culture overnight, but the NASUWT has committed itself to making the journey.

Useful recruitment resources produced by the NASUWT can be found on the Activist Resources pages of the website.