This will be my first post on the TUC blog and as someone new to blogging I’m not quite sure what to write.

After finding out I had been successful in getting into the candidate pool this year and then later with the NUT I was ecstatic! Although I don’t have much experience within the teaching sector I knew that the NUT is a proper union with a good record on campaigning. As such I was proud to be offered a place as one of their Academy Organisers this year. 

I moved into my new house the Saturday before my first day as an organiser. After a gruelling search at breakneck speed, I settled on a house only 10 minutes walk from the office.  This was little comfort however, as the first 2 days are in London for induction with the TUC.  Having spent all of Saturday packing and all of Sunday unpacking I didn’t relish the 6am start to be at Congress House for 10.45!

Though tired and battered, I made it. The first day at Congress House was a meet and greet of the other Organisers and the course co-ordinators. There was also, as you may expect a small forest’s worth of forms to complete and more names and information to take in than I think is possible.  This said it was a really enjoyable day. There was the quintessential trade union activity near the beginning of the day – The Introduction. There was a slight twist to this well known and loved union ice breaker… pictures! Apparently all our mugs are to be posted on the TUC site shortly… oh joy!

Day 2 at the TUC was interesting as we all met our coaches over lunch and went through the plan of work over the next 12 months. This was great from my point of view, as I’m someone who is obsessed with planning and generally thinking 17 moves ahead.

Back in the region later in the week, after getting my new NUT work bag and badge I began a ring around of Division (branch) Secretaries to introduce myself and chat about the year to come. I was apprehensive of this as I knew I’d be working closely with these activists and it was important for us to get on. My fears were allayed as they were all really friendly, one of the Secretaries even asked me to come out for a drink after one of our meetings. Kindly recognising that I was new and friendless!

Towards the end of the week my first trip out of the office was a teacher recruitment fair in Plymouth at a place called Marjons (an amalgamation of the words Mark and John I later discovered) which is a teacher training college. I was excited at the prospect of this event as it was my first real hands on task and chance to prove my organising metal. After setting up what was easily the best stall in the fair, we were set to face the throngs of students massing at the doors. Wanting to have the first bite of the student cherry I began handing out NUT recruitment leaflets to the queuing students. Chatting to some as I went along I was pleased to hear that many were already NUT members.

As the students made their way to the NUT table I had the chance to test my sales patter and was relived to discover I’d not lost my touch! As the morning wore on one I’d signed quite a few new members up and even managed to get a few of the existing student members to upgrade to full NUT membership. Aside from the importance of being a union member in today’s teaching environment, the servicing benefits and the chance to become active and make a difference in the workplace, the NUT are offering Full member ship to students for free this year, only £1 next year and 50% the year after! You don’t have to be a maths teacher to be able to work out the value in that. Fortunately both the math and non maths teachers alike spotted it too and I was the first of the FTO’s there that day to sign a new member up on that basis.

That concluded my first week as an academy organiser and I feel it went rather well. However, like so often with the trade union movement there are a number of extra curricular activities to participate in. I had an offer early in the week to attend the TUC’s South West Regional Council on Saturday as the NUT’s youth delegate. I decided that this was such a great opportunity to meet other Officers from around the region and get myself known too. The aim is to get an NUT young member to take up the mantle however, in the absence of someone willing I’m more than happy to fill in.

There was the chance to catch up with some PCS comrades I knew from my former life as a PCS activist. It was great to catch up and hear the latest on the campaigning front, it really highlighted to me how fortunate I was being on the academy this year and how much I will broaden my industrial experience by the end of the year.     

As expected the meeting was both useful and interesting. I’m excited by the up and coming Tolpuddle festival – one of the highlights of my year and delighted to hear the planning is well under way. I was engrossed by one delegate’s report back from his recent visit to Palestine- an issue I have long been interested in and I’m a passionate supporter of the Palestinian campaign for justice.

What was disappointing about the meeting, although not surprising, was that the South West has no shortage of trade union disputes fuelled by hostile management on the clueless ramblings of over paid consultants.

Following Regional Council there was another meeting on Justice for Columbia. Not a campaign I know a great deal about,  however,  I am won over by the issues – a genuinely worthwhile and right on campaign. I hope blog readers will join the Facebook group and show support!

 It’s Sunday now and I’m writing this post on the train to London. I have meetings all week at NUT HQ. Rather than enjoy my time on the train reading the rest of Tony Benn’s diaries from 2001 – 2007, I thought I’d be constructive – you can tell I’m in a new job!

Age: 23

Background

Originally from Pontypridd, but spent his working time in the City of Cardiff, where he worked for the HMRC for 7 years.

Chris was propelled into activation by a growing dissatisfaction with his management and deteriorating working conditions. During his time at HMRC he was a PCS Union Representative for four years, and a full time rep for just under 2 years. His role in the PCS was initially as a Branch Equality Officer, although he quickly took on other roles including a heavy personal case load, with cases for unfair dismal and discrimination reaching Employment Tribunal and as a passionate advocate of sustainability Chris was also the one of the first Green reps in PCS. Chris finished his PCS career as National Young Member Convenor for Wales Branch Health & Safety Chair, Branch Equality Chair and a leading case worker

Outside of the union movement Chris is a supporter of old Labour politics and a member of the Pontypridd constituency executive committee as both the Youth and Technology Officer.

Chris is proud to call himself a socialist and has supported many left wing campaigns including Youth fight for Jobs, Campaign Against Climate change and a range of anti fascist campaigns.

Experience

Found the recruitment process initially traumatising, as the logistics for relocating to the South West from Wales were difficult, as lots of elements had to be combined in such a short period of time.

Having completed the activist academy and not the development centre Chris says he found this to be more structured than the development centre process from what other colleagues have said.

Chris also says that despite the initial difficulties he is pleased and proud to have been offered a place on this year’s Organising Academy as it is such a prestigious placement.

Aspirations

Chris would like to double the TUC membership in 12 months ideally and restore the movement to density levels of the pre-Thatcher era. More realistically for the first 12 months Chris wants to firstly become established in the South West region, He then wants to create strong links with local activists, pass on his skills and experience with a view to empowering them to further increase activity and membership across the movement.

Why is Organising Important?

With the future prospects of a Tory led government, Chris’ feels that there is a difficult battle for the trade union movement, and for the movement to be able to combat that on-coming war then unions need to organise!

Chris feels that the role of the organiser is paramount to winning the war and is proud to be a part taking the trade union movement into the next decade.