Assessing the union’s organisational strength

Before resources are allocated to the task of building a stronger union it obviously makes sense to identify the areas most in need of attention and where the resources available can be used to most effect. This “union health check” needn’t be a complex or time consuming task. Just asking the following, or similar, questions can assist in helping to identify priority areas:

• where are there high/low levels of membership density?

• how many reps and other active members are there and where are they based?

• does the profile of the membership and activist reflect that of the overall workforce?

• is membership spread evenly across the workplace/branch or are there union hot and cold spots?

• is the union actively taking steps to recruit non-members and including any part-time, agency or temporary staff?

Once this picture or map of the workplace has been established, it will then be possible to develop a plan of action and decide how best to utilise the resources available.