We should not fail to recognise that good organising techniques can help to build the foundation for the fights to come, that patience is required, that the union keeps its nerve in the face of employer hostility, that resources are focused and that recruitment is seen as a key objective that comes when the workers themselves see it as their role and not as a function of the union alone.
Addenbrookes Hospital is one of the biggest in the country and two years ago was the site of an organising campaign by the Branch, the Eastern Region and the 3 Companies Project. The density was low on a contract that was important to the company. The aim then was to achieve density over 70% and give the Compass workforce the powerful union they needed.
In the late summer 2010 a training and briefing session was set up by the Organisers and then an organising 'blitz' took place. A campaign was identified from the hundreds of workers who signed up to be involved then a key group of leaders were identified. They were trained in 'sustainability' techniques and then took charge of recruitment. The numbers went over 70%. The organising campaign finished in June 2011 when the last of the Organisers left.
