Chapter 15 -Campaigns and Communications

chapter

15

campaigns and communications

15.1 Introduction

The TUC has defined itself as a campaigning organisation since its relaunch in 1994. Up to the 1997 general election, this mainly involved making the general case for trade union aims and values, and arguing for employee rights. The General Council's main objective was to shape the political climate so that attacks on employee rights were politically damaging to those that made them.

Since the general election and the change of government the political environment has changed dramatically. Real advances in employment rights have been won or are in the pipeline. There is ready access to ministers across the Government. But the General Council have recognised the importance of keeping a campaigning edge to the arguments we advance. This is a government that wishes to govern on the basis of 'fairness, not favours', and in practice this means that the TUC has to win the public relations battle, ensuring we win wide support and a wide range of allies in parliament, in the media and in the wider community.

This emphasis runs through much of this Report. Much of the work of the TUC's Campaigns and Communications Department on behalf of the General Council is, therefore, reflected in other chapters. This chapter deals with the other activities of the Department in the year under review, and provides an overview of the media, parliamentary relations, exhibitions and events, publications and other activities carried out on behalf of the General Council.

15.2 media relations

Over the past year the TUC has continued to maintain its high media profile, both reacting to announcements from the Government and other organisations, and creating numerous publicity opportunities of its own.

Following the release of the latest unemployment figures or a cut in interest rates, the TUC reaction was regularly reported by the national and regional press. And throughout the year, a series of TUC reports highlighting General Council concerns secured considerable column inches and radio and TV coverage. In the year under review economics and health and safety issues played particularly well.

The press office used the traditionally quiet news period over the Christmas break to issue several stories - health and safety releases on stress, and back strain and RSI were widely reported, as was a report on the success of the New Deal. Here the inclusion of statistics relating to every parliamentary constituency in England and Wales resulted in substantial regional follow-up.

Early in 1999, the TUC began to move over to a new system of media monitoring which, by giving value to coverage based on the quality and whereabouts of anymentions, allows for the success of publicity initiatives to be measured against each other. Congress House itself was also featured when lifestyle magazine Wallpaper, made the Great Russell Street building the publication's architectural icon for April. As a result of the colour spread, a number of production companies have approached the TUC, keen to feature the historic building as a film or television location.

Working with other organisations has also helped the TUC find new media opportunities. In the spring the TUC worked with two charities. Indecent Exposure, a report with the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, sought to highlight the potential damage to hearing for workers in modern work environments such as call centre workers and motorcycle couriers. A reception at the House of Commons provided an opportunity for MPs who pledged support to the campaign to have their photographs taken and sent to local papers. This gave a substantial boost to the national coverage. The campaign has also been entered for the 1999 PR Week awards. The TUC also worked with the National Asthma Campaign and ASH on a report aimed at making workplaces smoke free. The Butt Stops Here, was particularly successful in regional media, both broadcast and print.

The launch of a week-long helpline and poll warning that around five million people have been bullied at work attracted much media attention. Press office staff also helped Granada TV research a documentary on 'Britain's bullying bosses' which was broadcast in the autumn. The publicity around the launch of a joint TUC/Industrial Society training video on workplace bullying, in February, meant that, throughout the year, the TUC's work on this area was widely reported.

Two reports - Black Workers in the Jobs Slowdown and Winning Anti-Discrimination for Gay and Lesbian Workers - released to coincide with the TUC Black Workers Conference in April, and another event the following month calling for new laws to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, drew substantial coverage to both events.

The TUC's Partners for Progress project (reported in Chapter 6) was launched with a special preview piece in The Financial Times, a positive interview in The Times, an article by the general secretary in the Daily Express and much more coverage in national and regional press. The Prime Minister's speech to the conference was widely reported, although many of the reports by political lobby journalists who did not attend the conference misconstrued his remarks about wage bargaining.

The Unions and the Euro conference in May at which Gordon Brown was the main speaker, was well-reported, and the general secretary wrote comment pieces in The Observer and The Mirror. As a result BBC -TV's The Money Programme approached the TUC with a request for John Monks to present a `personal view' on Europe, in opposition to David Owen.

The general secretary's remarks in the wake of the Euro-elections when he referred to the Government's tendency to see the unions and other core Labour voters as 'embarrassing elderly relatives at a family get together' were widely reported and were the subject of much subsequent political comment.

In July, a six-week pensions helpline was launched together with a poll showing many people have not made sufficient plans for their retirement. This featured prominently in the media, prompting thousands of people to call the line in its first two weeks.

15.3 parliamentary work

The TUC has continued to lobby intensely in both Houses of Parliament. Much of the high profile activity was directed towards the Employment Relations Bill and is reported in Chapter 2, but work has continued across all political parties on other important TUC policies and objectives. The general secretary and other senior TUC officers have continued a comprehensive programme of political contacts. This has included a TUC presence at all the major party conferences with well attended fringe meetings and rallies addressed by the general secretary and a special briefing for Conservative representatives promoting the partnership approach.

A number of events have been arranged at which senior cabinet members and other political party leaders have exchanged views with senior TUC officials and General Council members. The now regular summer party for trade unionists and parliamentarians had a record attendance. The general secretary contributed regularly to the House Magazine, the most widely read journal in Westminster. The General Council were honoured by an invitation to a reception given by the Prime Minister in Downing Street in July.

The Parliamentary Labour Party Trade Union Group has continued to provide an important focus for much of the TUC's public affairs campaigning work, particularly during the passage of the Employment Relations Bill and the implementation of the Working Time Directive. The group has also heard presentations on family friendly policies and pensions policy. The General Council are grateful to the group`s officers for the support they have given to other TUC initiatives such as the anti-discrimination legislation conference and the Trade Union Press and PR Awards ( see below).

As well as the Employment Relations Bill, a number of legislative measures of interest to the TUC passed through Parliament this year including the Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill, the Tax Credits Bill, the Local Government Bill, the Immigration and Asylum Bill, the Disability Rights Commission Bill and the Access to Justice Bill.

Detailed briefings were sent to MP s and peers at critical stages of the parliamentary process. A comprehensive pre-budget green paper and post-budget analyses were circulated, the latter overnight. This consolidated recognition of the TUC as an authoritative and informed source on workplace issues. In order to ensure effectively targeted mailings, a questionnaire was sent to MP s asking them to update their areas of special interest. This produced a good response, demonstrating that TUC briefing material is well regarded.

Seminars and bilateral meetings between TUC policy experts and MPs of all parties have been arranged on a range of issues including international labour issues and parental leave. A morning's seminar on economic policy was arranged for the Liberal Democrat Treasury team as well as a presentation to the ConservativeTrade Unionists in London Back-Bench Liaison Committee. Further seminars are planned for backbenchers and their staff.

The TUC continued to supply oral and written evidence to Select Committees, including: 'preparations for the euro' to the House of Lords European Committee and parental leave to the Social Security Select Committee. The new pre-legislative scrutiny committees have enabled the TUC to shape and influence policy at an early stage in areas such as the national insurance contributory principle and pensions sharing on divorce.

A number of TUC campaign materials such as the agency workers leaflet, the bullying at work pack and the pensions hotline details were provided to all MP s for use in the constituency advice surgeries. These have proved very popular and useful.

The TUC has continued to hold regular meetings with affiliates' parliamentary and political officers to share experience and best practice.

15.4 Publications

The General Council's publishing programme has been dominated by the Employment Relations Bill and the opportunity it presents for building union organisation. Under the banner 'Your New Rights at Work', a series of public information leaflets is being produced on different aspects of the legislation. These are being offered to unions, Citizens Advice Bureaux and other information points. Leaflets on agency working, the Working Time Directive and bullying at work are already available to callers to the 'Your Rights at Work' helpline, formally launched at Congress this year. A full Guide to the Employment Relations Bill has also been published, together with briefing material for regional seminars.

Learning materials have also featured strongly, both for the education service and to the raise the profile of lifelong learning. New titles include a revised Stage 1 Union Reps Manual, a Negotiators Guide to Employee Development Schemes, Unions and Lifelong Learning and Learning with the Unions. The work on Bargaining for Skills has been boosted by a regular ILA News bulletin.

Major reports and guides were produced at the time of national conferences, most notably No Excuse: Beat Bullying at Work, Partners for Progress, Unions and the Euro and Great Expectations. The latter is a successful loose-leaf manual on maternity, paternity and parental rights and benefits which will be updated when the Government publishes its regulations in this area.

The TUC has also taken forward its work on equal rights with a new Charter for Lesbian and Gay Rights at Work and a revised negotiators booklet on disability issues, Representing Disabled Members.

Internally the TUC has revised its document templates for the new IT system and reviewed the marketing, promotion and distribution of publications, in a bid to improve efficiency and increase revenue from sources other than unions where there is considerable potential for increasing sales of TUC publications. Affiliated unions will continue to receive the full range of price discounts. The review will beconcluded later this year.

Finally, again with an eye to wider markets, the TUC has made an agreement with publisher Kogan Page to produce a paperback consumer guide provisionally called Your Rights at Work, to be distributed through the book trade and major retail outlets. This should be available by Congress 2000, by which time most of the Regulations associated with the Employment Relations Act should be in force. Unions will be given the opportunity to buy bulk copies at greatly discounted prices to pass on to members.

15.5 Exhibitions

A total of 87 exhibition stands were sold for the 1998 TUC Congress Exhibition.

Regular small exhibitions were also staged at the TUC Women's Conference and TUC Black Workers Conference and various smaller exhibitions were held at other conferences throughout the year.

TUC Exhibition Stand

In 1998 the TUC took exhibition space at the annual conferences of the Labour Party, Liberal Democrats, CBI and Conservative Party Conference. The stand was well received at all these conferences. In addition exhibition space was taken at the following conferences, Health and Safety at Work, Institute of Personnel and Development, USDAW, MSF, CWU, UNISON, GMB and T&G.

15.6 TUC events

More than 20 national events have been organised by the TUC during the year -ranging from the Women's, Black Workers, Trades Union Councils', Lesbian and Gay, Disability and Youth Conferences, through the Organise `98 event to issue-based conferences on bullying, the environment, 'leaders in learning', discrimination law, 'unions and the euro', 'great expectations' and 'partners for progress'. They ranged in scale from a series of three seminars on race to Congress itself.

Advice and assistance has continued to be provided to affiliates, as requested; and a series of meetings of union conference organisers is planned for the coming year.

Meetings of the TUC and political party conference organisers have continued, and have been concentrated on discussions with both Blackpool and Brighton local authorities, venues and hotel and other accommodation bodies. Developments to existing, and the possibility of new, conference facilities have been discussed with representatives of both towns; and both have promised to involve the TUC in further discussions, the substance of which will be provided to affiliates.

15.7 Know your rights line

The know your rights campaign aims to offer advice on new and forthcoming rights at work, as part of the Fairness at Work Action Plan reported in Chapter 2. The campaign included the launch of a 24 hour automated information line where callers can order leaflets on a range of workplace rights. The first leg of the campaign was on agency workers rights. This included the release of a case study-led report, Temporary Workers, Permanent Rights focussing on exploitation byrogue agencies who deny agency workers existing rights. Case studies came mainly from Citizens Advice Bureaux but also concentrated on industries renowned for their mistreatment of agency workers.

Future campaigns under this banner will cover the Working Time Directive, the national minimum wage, new recognition and representation rights, rights for part-time workers and new rights on maternity and parental leave.

The know your rights line will also make available other TUC advice leaflets on issues such as health and safety, bullying at work and pensions.

15.8 Beat bullying at work

The beat bullying at work campaign was launched in October 1998. This was partly a response to the 40 per cent of calls to the bad bosses line, run during 1997, about bullying. The aim was to raise awareness of a growing workplace issue, help unions and employers counter the problem and promote the work that unions have already undertaken on bullying at work.

A conference focussing on the practical responses from both unions and employers attracted over 400 delegates, including nearly 100 human resources professionals. A poll was released suggesting five million people had been bullied at work and an automated telephone line ran for two weeks. The TUC also produced a guide on tackling bullying for trade union representatives and personnel managers.

As a second stage to the campaign, the TUC worked in partnership with the Industrial Society to produce a drama-based training video. This video has proved popular with Industrial Society members and a negotiated deal means that trade unionists are able to get copies at a sixth of the price. The video won a gold award at a US international film and video festival.

15.9 Millennium film project

The General Council agreed, as part of plans to mark the millennium, to commission a series of ten videotaped interviews with ten leading trade unionists and politicians who have been associated with the trade union movement in the pre and post second world war eras.

The interviews give an historical view of the trade union movement's development and provide views of how it might develop into the next millennium. Further funding is being sought to make another series and proposals are being made to production companies with a view to making a television programme or series.

The films have been stored in an archive which will make them available on a commercial and non commercial basis to broadcasters and film makers. The tapes have been transcribed and are also available in text form. The interviews were conducted by Geoffrey Goodman, former industrial editor of the Daily Mirror, and Ian Ross former industrial editor of Channel 4 News: the films were produced by Elkan Allan. The interviewees were: Jack Jones, Lord Scanlon, Baroness Castle, Pat Lowry, Norman Willis, Lord Murray, John Monks, David Lea, Rita Donaghy and Lord Callaghan.

15.10 Working with unions

The Campaigns and Communications Department has worked with union PR professionals on several campaigns such as 'pension power', agency workers, and bullying. The Department has also maintained close contact with colleagues on the current issues that have emerged from the employee rights campaign and the consequent parliamentary lobbying.

Occasional seminars have also been held - the most recent of these dealt with how to make a communications audit, and improving service to members using telephone call centres. The Campaigns and Communications Department has provided a number of briefings on a range of issues for union journals, and has also provided consultancy services on campaigning and media to several unions.

15.11 The Millennium Dome

The General Council agreed to sponsor the Work and Learn zone within the Millennium Dome, on the grounds that it was important to ensure a trade union presence within Britain's premier celebration of the millennium which is likely to be visited by large numbers of people, particularly young people, from throughout the country.

This followed a series of discussions between the TUC and the New Millennium Experience Company which helped ensure that the zone reflected the modern world of work and the role of trade unions within it.

Discussions are continuing about how the sponsorship will be more directly reflected within the zone.

15.12 Trade Union Trends

Trade Union Trends is the TUC' s research series into the work of trade unions. The bulk of reports are based on surveys commissioned by the TUC from the Labour Research Department, while others are produced from within Congress House or from other sources. The six annual reports in the year under review covered union recognition, union services, balloting and industrial action, employment tribunals, union legal services, and trade union membership.

As more unions complete the surveys Trade Union Trends has become increasingly authoritative. Key findings from recent surveys include:

· employers have become increasingly more likely to recognise unions voluntarily in advance of the new legal framework

· fewer unions are facing de-recognition

· industrial action is at extremely low levels

· union membership has stopped falling with increases among women, black, and part-time workers

15.13 TUC/Unity Trust Bank Press and PR Awards

This year's competition attracted a higher number of entries than 1998 with some 30 unions entering materials in seven categories. The status of the awards remains high among affiliates and the judges were impressed not just by the quality of entries but by clear signs of innovation and improvements, especially in therecruitment material category. Opportunities for union communications professionals to share experiences and draw on best practice are provided through the annual awards ceremony at Congress House, the exhibition of entries, and through the two publications Focus on the Winners and the more detailed Judges' Comments.

Copyright © 1998 Trades Union Congress

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