FOR several years now Unison conferences have unanimously moved to reaffirm the Organising to Win agenda. But what should this commitment actually mean for our Union and the approximately 1.3 million members it represents?

On the face of it, there seems to be a general consensus that if we truly desire to grow as a union, effectively win disputes, and improve terms and conditions, then we have to organise and build genuine workplace power. Both in theory and practice, organising should be the fundamental foundation of everything we do in our union.

The Organising to Win strategy recognises that a strong union is built by active members in organised workplaces, and that no amount of servicing can replace the collective power that comes from members taking a leading role in identifying issues and standing together to take action. The importance of organising workers cannot be overstated or underestimated.

Workers need a union capable of building genuine power as our material reality shows we cannot rely on the goodwill of political parties or governments beholden to the whims of capital.

If we are to be serious about improving pay and working conditions for our members, we need to be a union that can organise effectively in every single workplace. The Organising to Win strategy cannot just be a motion we pay lip service to every conference.

The Organising to Win strategy seeks to shift our focus from reactively stopping the bleeding when problems arise to proactively building the strength needed to prevent them in the first place. This is not just theory; we have seen tangible evidence that organising works.

Across branches in the north-west, we have witnessed the collective power of workers win across numerous disputes. We have also seen the North West Young Members Forum and the workers it represents go from strength to strength. The common denominator across all of this action is effective organising in adherence to the Organising to Win strategy.

From our experience we can attest these successes have not happened by accident; they are the direct result of deliberate organising efforts focused on developing workers’ consciousness and confidence to take action.

Across Unison, young workers now account for a quarter of all new joiners, despite previously being dismissed as “not wanting to join or become active” in the trade union movement. In the north-west, young members have taken leading roles in creating sustainable networks, recruiting new activists and developing organising training to meet their needs.

The growth of young members shows some important lessons we all need to learn: workers do want to be involved in their union. Organising is not about persuading workers to care; it is about creating the conditions that allow workers to realise the vast power of their organised labour, and their roles within the movement.

Many branches face internal challenges around activist capacity, succession planning, and engagement.

In too many branches, a small number of dedicated activists carry the bulk of the workload; while their commitment is invaluable, this model is not sustainable in the long term.

Our organising strategy offers a different vision, rather than relying on a select few people to give their all to keep us afloat, it seeks to build a wider layer of activists who collectively share responsibility and develop the confidence to take on leadership roles.

Culture change will be essential if we are to achieve our goals. Organising must become the baseline with which we approach all union activity.

Every campaign, ballot, or any form of action should aid in identifying and developing new activists. Every workplace issue should be an opportunity to strengthen organising. And every conversation with a member should help us build collective power.

This will require absolute commitment at every level of our union: nationally, regionally, and locally. We must ensure that all resources, structures, and priorities are aligned with organising objectives. The future of our union will be determined by our desire, commitment and ability to build confident, active, and organised workplaces.

Organising represents one of the most powerful weapons we have at our disposal. Simply put, if we are truly serious about winning for our members, our union and our class, we must be serious about organising.

Workers in our country have faced years of pay cuts, outsourcing, rising workloads, and attacks on public services.

With an anti-worker/pro capital consensus cross-party in Westminster, you would be forgiven for assuming that the future seems equally bleak. Yet we are now seeing the green shoots of genuine growth and a re-emergence of working-class power.

This moment represents an opportunity we cannot afford to miss and the Organising to Win strategy illuminates a path to seize it and deliver for our union.

Zaihera Chaudhry and Ian Caulfield are Unison North West Young Members co-chairs.