50 new black activists signed up to the Black Activist Network

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This guide is for union reps - understanding coronavirus and workplace issues, employer negotiations and how best protect the workforce

Coronavirus - Guidance for unions

Name

Afzal Rahman

Job title

Policy Officer Pay and Employment

Our Work Matters is the joint union campaign for outsourced facilities management workers, such as cleaners and security guards. Unions currently involved in the campaign include UNISON, Unite, GMB, PCS, RMT and CWU.

The campaign launched in May 2023 with an online organising call. Over 100 union members and outsourced workers signed up. Attendees heard about TUC’s new campaign, how to get involved as well as from reps and members working in outsourced facilities management roles about the union wins they’ve had in their workplaces on key issues such as insourcing, sick pay and equal treatment.

Following the successful launch, over 50 union reps and members attended an in-person training and lobbying event at Westminster Central Hall in June – ‘Outsourced Workers Connect’. Members received peer-to-peer training on organising their workplace, winning recognition and bargaining for £15 minimum wage and sick pay.

We organised a lunchtime briefing session in the House of Commons with Florence Eshalomi, Labour MP and shadow minister for procurement, where outsourced workers told the Labour MP about the difference Labour’s commitment to “deliver the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation” would make to their daily lives.

Across the two events, we saw the huge potential of organising this group of workers to deliver against TUC’s aim to strengthen and diversify our movement, and crucially, our reps base. At the online organising call and Outsourced Workers Connect, of the 20+ speakers, four were from a white background and only two of the speakers were male. Following a presentation from Becky Sixsmith-Hughes, 50 new black activists signed up to the Black Activist Network.

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