TRADE unions are only as strong as their membership. Well-organised workplaces support strong collective agreements, enabling us to get the best possible deal for our members at work.

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) has a proud history of running one of the most effective organising agendas within the trade union movement, but we cannot afford to stand still. We know that within our agreements and across the sectors we organise, there remain hundreds of thousands of workers who are not part of a trade union.

The Employment Rights Act will remove years of red tape on trade union organising activity and deliver important new rights for unions to meet and recruit workers in unorganised workplaces.

This presents new opportunities but also new demands on trade unions, like supporting reps to take full advantage of these new rights while balancing the needs of our existing agreements.

In order to maximise the potential to grow trade unions and improve the collective voice at work, it is essential that we renew our organising strategy to further build on the solid foundations established. Strong rep structures that reflect the diversity of our membership remain at the heart of creating a robust organising framework fit for the future.

Usdaw campaigned tirelessly for the New Deal for Workers, and we can be proud of the part we have played working with a Labour government to secure the much-needed change our members deserve.

The Employment Rights Act delivers the biggest uplift to workers’ rights in a generation, including: statutory sick pay from day one of absence; tackling exploitative zero-hours contracts; new protections against the disgraceful practice of fire and rehire; protecting staff from customer harassment; paternity, parental and bereavement leave available from day one; reasonable notice of shift changes and cancellations; statutory rights for workplace equalities representatives; unfair dismissal after six months in a job, instead of two years; improved redundancy consultation; and enforcement of employment rights through the single Fair Work Agency.

The Act also aims to redress the imbalance of power in workplaces by repealing years of damaging anti-trade union legislation and strengthening workers’ ability to meet and speak with a trade union. That means fair and reasonable access to workplaces for trade unions and giving workers an effective voice by simplifying trade union recognition.

This new right for unions to access workplaces has the potential to be transformative, reversing years of decline in membership. Every year, Usdaw reps and organisers must recruit over 90,000 members just for the union to maintain its membership levels — and they have managed to exceed that high bar.

So despite the double-hit of the pandemic and retail sector crisis, we can be rightly proud of being one of the fastest growing trade unions in the UK.

Of course, none of this is possible without our fantastic reps, who are the beating heart of Usdaw and the foundation of any successful organising strategy. We are committed to supporting every rep with the skills they need to recruit under new organising models.

But in order to meet the challenges ahead, we need to encourage even more members to step forward and become active reps.

The time is right to renew and refocus our organising agenda to make the most of all available opportunities to grow our union. The landscape for union organising is changing. Renewing our organising strategy is essential to prepare us for the challenges and opportunities for growth in the future. Usdaw has proved we can adapt to organise in the most difficult circumstances.

The upcoming improvements in the Employment Rights Act offer trade unions a new chance to make significant gains, with a higher statutory floor to negotiate from, and improved ability to recruit, organise and strengthen agreements.

The right of access to workplaces, along with a simplified process for trade union recognition, present opportunities for us to expand into new workplaces and extend our collective bargaining coverage.

At the core of our organising strategy remains a strong team of Usdaw reps and activists, who are supported with the training, skills and tools they need to use new physical and digital organising models effectively.

Usdaw is committed to increasing our rep base, ensuring that reps reflect our membership, so that every worker sees a place for themselves in Usdaw and is encouraged to get more involved.

Trade unions thrive when well-organised workplaces deliver the collective bargaining power we need to improve pay, tackle insecure work and continue to win for our members.

The future of trade unions depends on our ability to make the most of every organising opportunity available to us.

Joanne Thomas is general secretary of Usdaw.