NEC Report to BECTU 2003 Conference paragraphs 211-336
Recruitment and retention
Organising culture
211 Officials and lay members from BECTU have been involved in TUC seminars on the organising culture for a couple of years now. The initial proposal from the TUC was supported by their Organising Academy, but up to now they have had little success in getting small to medium unions to agree to take students from the Academy. BECTU made a conscious decision at the time not to take on students from the Academy. We still believe that this was the correct decision as at that point there was no cohesive strategy on how we would use those individuals, and also we would have little or no choice as to whom we get from the Academy.
212 However as a result of a specific course set up for officials by the TUC last year it became clear that too much of our resources is being used for basic servicing of the current membership. By this we mean attending branch meetings, doing basic disciplinary and grievance hearings, and so on. This does not help in ensuring that those workplaces have better representation in the future. The organising culture argues that like recruits like, and that the first step must be to train your branch activists to recruit, organise and deal with local collective bargaining and individual representation. By any measure, the level of active involvement by the lay representatives in BECTU has decreased over the last ten to fifteen years. If we carry on being a servicing union, providing all of the support from head office, then the union's ability to be able to grow its membership, and with it its collective bargaining agreements, will be slim.
213 Following this training day it was agreed that Gerry Morrissey would meet with some other unions who have employed organising officials and look at whether this has been successful or not. Gerry has met with the GPMU, who employed something in the region of 60 organising officials from the TUC Academy, and these were then sent to the branches for them to use as they felt appropriate. It should be stated that the GPMU structure is different to most in that the branches are the employers of the officials and only the head office and national negotiators are employed by the union centrally. In most cases inside the GPMU the initiative has been a failure, mostly because the branches were not signed up to the initiative and many of them resented the idea of head office sending them staff which they had to pay for. Also, there was no coherent policy on what these individuals would do.
214 Gerry also met with Connect, which is a union of approximately 17,000 members. They now employ six organising officials who are directed centrally by a senior official to organise in greenfield sites and to a lesser extent in areas where they have recognition but low density of membership. Some people inside Connect would tell you it has been a success, but at this stage by our calculations the union is still subsidising it to a level of approximately £100,000 per annum.
215 The final union Gerry met was the TSSA, with a membership of 30,000 or so, with quite significant resources in relation to cash but a declining membership because of the areas in which they have recognition reducing in numbers. They currently employ 16 organising officials. Their business plan talks about breaking even by 2005. However after two years of this initiative they are significantly behind target, even though they have stopped the decline in union membership and this year have shown a small growth, but obviously at the cost of a significantly higher wage bill.
216 The organising officials at TSSA and at Connect will do individual representation but not collective bargaining. One area in which we believe both these unions fall down is that the current officials no longer have any responsibility for recruitment.
217 Putting all of this into a BECTU context, firstly it has to be said that we do not have the spare money to employ organising officials immediately. However what we have done up to now is to employ Feyi Raimi-Abraham, initially on an attachment basis, to assist with recruitment in Land Securities Trillium as part of the BBC division. The members that have been recruited justify the continuation of this position as it is now self-financing. Similar initiatives are being instituted in relation to Sky in Scotland and Carlton administration and support staff in the Midlands, by using our existing secretaries Margaret and Lynne, who are keen to have a greater involvement in organisation and recruitment for BECTU. At the moment we are providing them with these opportunities and covering behind with temporary secretarial staff where necessary.
Organising for Growth
Throughout 2002 BECTU promoted the Organising for Growth courses. These courses were run cross-divisionally, as requested in Proposition 12 at last year's conference, and with women's courses (WOFG). In total four out of six courses took place during 2002 and approximately 38 students were trained.
219 Benefits from these courses have already been seen in the A&E division, where many new activists have appeared, and mapping the workplace to identify non members is a common occurrence. It is hoped that throughout 2003 this will be rolled out across all divisions of BECTU.
220 A further twelve courses are planned for 2003, of which four are women-only courses.
221 These courses are listed below:
2002
November 14 WOFG (dealing with members issues)
November 16/17 OFG (freelance)
December 5/6 OFG (general)
2003
January 30/31 WOFG (communications)
February 8/9 OFG (freelance)
February 20/21 OFG (communications)
March 14/15 OFG (general)
April 3/4 OFG (dealing with members' issues)
April 7/8 WOFG (general)
June 6/7 OFG (general)
September 11/12 WOFG (dealing with members' issues)
September 19/20 OFG (general)
October 6/7 WOFG (general)
November 10/11 OFG (general)
November 29/30 OFG (freelance)
Recruitment Overview
London and Regional Production divisions
222 The 2002 Recruitment & Retention Strategy set LPD a net growth target of 300 members over the course of the year, and the RPD target was 200. These targets were set in the autumn of 2001, when expectations were that film and TV production levels in 2002 would rise after a difficult time in 2001.
223 As described in the Industrial Overview paragraphs above, 2002 turned out to be a disastrous year in terms of film, TV and commercials production levels, the worst year for over a decade.
224 However priority tasks identified in the Recruitment & Retention Strategy were still tackled. In LPD there was a continuing focus on studio and location visits and on Graduate recruitment. Some progress was also made in rebuilding our presence in the post-production sector and in the craft areas, though much remains to be done. In RPD priority branches were identified for particular attention. A pilot exercise in "mapping the freelance membership" was run in the Yorkshire/Humberside area, providing a clearer context for future recruitment and organisational work.
225 The end result was that LPD paid-up membership rose by 178 over the year (59% of targeted net growth) and RPD's paid-up membership rose by 182 (91% of targeted net growth). These figures are a credit to the hard work done by members across both Production divisions in maintaining the union's profile in hard times.
Laboratories division
226 The 2002 Recruitment and Retention Strategy set the Laboratories & Audio/NBV Duplication division a net growth target of 80 members over the course of the year.
227 BECTU represents most employees in most labs in the UK, and we are recognised by most employers. There is relatively little scope for membership growth. At the same time this is an internationally-competitive and technologically-driven industrial sector, so that over time the overall number of labs jobs tends to fall.
228 Nevertheless it was disappointing that over 2002 we suffered a net loss of 42 members across the Labs division.
BBC division
Introduction
229 These paragraphs set out what is proposed for recruitment in the BBC in addition to the calendar of meetings and recruitment events set up for 2003. In particular they try to identify where the organising model can be extended to new areas.
230 Before looking at 2003 it is useful to see how we have progressed up to September 2002. On the figures provided, the increase in paid up members since the 1 January is 297 (up from 6,079 to 6,376). If you multiply that up for the whole year than it seems probable that we will reach 400 by the 31 December 2003. It is worth noting that we were recruiting at the rate of nearly 100 per month until August when there was a fall in numbers recruited taking us down to an average of 88 per month. The rise in current members since January 2002 is from 6,647 to 6,926, an increase of 279. Current members are those who are more than eight weeks but less than six months in arrears. These figures should be looked at with some caution since the Membership department is currently engaged in an exercise of writing to more than 200 members shown as paid up who are more than six months in arrears asking whether they wish to renew their DD or deductions at source mandate. If they do not then they will be lapsed.
231 In considering the recruitment targets across the BBC division for 2003 it is necessary to look at each part of the division in turn. Starting with the BBC itself there are likely to be more than 1000 new employees recruited to produce the new programming required for the BBC's new digital channels on Radio and TV, particularly BBC3. This means that production areas in London and across the UK are, as in previous years, a high priority.
232 This report has contributions from each of the National Officials setting out in detail what they intend to do in each of their areas, and for production Helen Ryan has indicated where she hopes to extend the organising model beyond the initial areas and also gives an indication of the numbers of new members that could be recruited.
233 There are other areas of potential growth in particular in some of the wholly-owned subsidiary companies. BBC Broadcast has a functioning branch committee which has begun to take on some of the organising and recruitment for that area. Resources Limited continues to have a relatively high density of membership and the reps in the company recruit new employees. Technology Ltd has an active branch which is looking to recruit and organise more staff with some assistance from Jim Johnstone from head office.
234 In BBC Scotland Paul McManus writes of the problems encountered in organising in the BBC but expects to make more progress in mapping the membership and speaking to non-members in the next twelve months. The amount of effort that can be put into the area will to some extent depend upon the Sky recognition campaign.
235 Jim Johnstone has had some success in BBC Worldwide but there is a long way to go to increase density. Jim is sceptical that the new starters list in Worldwide is producing any members at all, and intends doing further work to show how many are recruited. Jim will be mapping the membership in News and World Service with the activists in those areas and then trying to encourage them to begin speaking to the non-members. His report also indicates the likely numbers of recruits achievable in 2003.
236 Another important area in the BBC covers all those staff employed directly by Land Securities Trillium and their service providers, the various contractors. This has been an area which has seen a lot of growth and Feyi Raimi-Abraham, who is responsible for that area, points to where it has taken place and where there is the possibility of more recruitment in 2003. The LST arrangement may also be extended next year to cover the rest of the UK.
237 Willie Lesslie feels that there is some resistance to the organising culture in Merlin and Crown Castle, the transmission companies, but hopes to hold a recruitment day in London for the active reps from both companies in February of next year to try and motivate them to get organised. He is also continuing with the BBC new starters list and will be producing statistics to show the take up rate.
Conclusion
238 As you can see from the following reports, the overall target for recruitment for 2003 is 836. This figure will only be reached if we are able to crack the problem of retention. If we are successful then it is a realistic target. We would sound a cautious note and suggest that if the numbers of those lapsed in 2003 continues at the same rate as 2002 then a figure of 600 is more likely.
BBC Production
239 Below is the analysis of the 2002 strategy for organizing and recruitment and proposals and targets for 2003.
Review of 2002
| Branch Name | Information |
| Presentation (BBC Broadcast Ltd) | One of the targeted Branches for organizing for growth. We now have a full functioning branch, although have a problem with a possible conflict of interest with the Secretary that I am trying to deal with. All representatives have attended the officers course. Comparing paid up analysis for Feb and August 2002 there was an overall increase of 45 members (36 new members since January 2002). This increase is not as a result of transferring of subtitling - they remain in their existing Branches. The Branch is working through mapping each section (can provide information if required) and I believe is recruiting members at a steady pace. I believe that this project has and continues to show a success. | BBC F&L | Again a target for organizing for growth. Now also have a full functioning branch with a well experienced Branch Chair (Robert). The committee has grown to 6 representatives - most of which have all been on the officers training course. Again doing the same comparison on membership figures there is a net increase of 47 (41 new members from January 2002). Although this figure does seem somewhat low I believe it is worthwhile continuing the process. |
| Site Visits | Information | White City | Have run 2 recruitment stands with leafleting and numerous issue based meetings including redundancies, FTC, Production Modernisation, buyouts and New Media Review. | TVC | Did 1 stand - with no success and leafleting. Decided to change to specific targeted areas - see below & Presentation. | East Tower (BBC CTV) | Ran 1 stand and 1 open meeting. Leafleting was done via desk drop by the Branch. All officers of branch trained. Have recruited a couple of new members but not on the scale as originally hoped. | Bush (BBC NM) | Ran 2 open days and 1 specific New Media Review meeting. Have launched new BBCNM branch and committee starting to grow. | Bush (BBC English) | Ran alternative staff survey and arranged open meeting that Tony Lennon attended. Difficulty is that following mapping the workplace there is very little room for increase. | LBH (R&M) | Ran 2 issue based meetings and have in the last week launched a new R&M Branch which I believe has prospects. |
| Regional Site Visits | Information | Birmingham | Ran 2 open meetings to targeted audience and have started to recruit in Production areas. Have finally got someone to help Dan out (although needs training). 23 new members since January 2002 | Bristol | Have done 3 leaflet drops, stands and drop in sessions (including an arrears amnesty) but a disappointing net increase of 9 although 13 new members since January | Manchester | Ran 2 stands (leaflet drops on desks) with open meetings. Committee is committed to organizing and recruiting and in process of mapping membership. 21 new members | London Live | The proposed leafleting and stand was cancelled and am trying to re-arrange. Branch have agreed to take on Tunbridge Wells and we have run 1 meeting and there is a small increase of members. Only 1 new member in London Live but 3 from Tunbridge | I was unsuccessful in visiting the smaller regional sites e.g. Newcastle, Plymouth etc. Although I got branches to use Multi-skilling and Rosenblum for local recruitment initiatives | I appreciate that work levels should not be any defence to not meeting my targets. |
Proposals for 2003
240 We have talked about and are trying to organise site and regional visits based on the issue of rate for the job, UPA and anti-social working etc. We believe that this issue will follow into the new year and therefore would like to use this as one of the issues for recruitment and retention.
241 In addition you are also aware that we are trying to launch a campaign regarding facilities management and LST and therefore intend to continue to target these staff.
242 Our proposals are outlined below branch by branch:
| Branch | Proposals | New members 2003 | Net increase 2003 |
| Birmingham | Use rate for job etc as outlined above and continue to target Production areas and FM. Roughly 290 members out of approx 700. Believe that there is potential. | +60 | +30 |
| Bristol | Use rate for job etc as outlined above and continue to target Production areas and FM. Roughly 200 members out of approx 800. Disappointing year this year but do not intend to give up and the Branch are trying to be proactive. | +20 | +10 |
| R&M (BHPROD) | Target as an organising for growth strategy and map the membership. Use the new branch committee members who are enthusiastic to recruit. I have high hopes of this new branch and therefore the targets reflect this. | +60 | +50 |
| CLPRG | Split branch with News. I have need to seek more advice from Branch as to what for "production" would be a reasonable target. | - | - |
| CLREN | Again a split Branch but can see that there is a potential for recruitment in "technical" areas in the R&M side | +20 | - |
| BBC CTV & DEC | Have been unsuccessful in launching DEC Branch and proposing to Children's that they take on all DEC (as committee has grown) to see if we can encourage anyone to come forward. The staff turnover outside Children's seems to be very high and appears to be high level of project contracts. | +30 | +25 |
| BBC English | I cannot see that there is much more room for growth in this Branch so the issue is one of retention see London sites. | 0 | 0 |
| London Live | Although have recruited at Tunbridge Wells the London site is an NUJ stronghold. Do not wish to write off as the reps are still keen to try the non union people | +10 | +10 |
| Manchester | Use rate for job etc as outlined above and continue to target Production areas and FM. Branch are eager to recruit and are starting to map the membership. I believe that the branch can succeed and the proposals reflect this | +60 | +30 |
| Milton Keynes | Limited time left for the site and therefore no proposals. | 0 | -40 |
| BBCNM | Target as an organising for growth strategy and map the membership. Use the new branch committee members who are enthusiastic to recruit. I am hopeful about this branch and the proposed target reflects this. The net increase is reduced by 50% as I am aware that the content side of the operation will be devolved to the divisions. | +60 | +30 |
| Newcastle | Have mapped the membership and with an active Branch and strong NUJ chapel there is limited scope | - | - |
| Norwich | Have mapped the membership and with an active Branch and strong NUJ chapel there is limited scope | - | - |
| Presentation | Agreement from Branch to continue mapping, especially MediaArc. Can see no reason why this branch should not continue to grow from strength to strength. | +60 | +50 |
| BBC F&L | Agreement from Branch to continue mapping, I can see no reason why this branch should not continue to grow | +60 | +50 |
| Southampton | Need to encourage the branch to map the workplace and assess potential | - | - |
| Sport | Although we have got a new rep this is seen as an NUJ area and although do not like to write an area off I would suggest that the time and effort required for any reasonable success could be used of value elsewhere. | - | - |
| TPROD | Technically a holding branch for those that still work in BBC but division unknown | - | - |
| CLOBE | Branch to start trying to recruit in the clerical side although potential is limited | +6 | +6 |
| Elstree | Have a willing volunteer to take up a position on branch. Have got full staff list (although this will include freelancers). I am trying to do a leaflet drop and stand/surgery with meeting on rate for the job this side of Xmas and would want to review after this meeting | +10 | +5 |
| Kingswood Warren | Believe that there is some potential and propose trying to work with branch. | +10 | +5 |
| Leeds | Have mapped the membership and with an active Branch and strong NUJ chapel there is limited scope | - | - |
| Nottingham | Have mapped the membership and with an active Branch and strong NUJ chapel there is limited scope | - | - |
| Plymouth | Need to get more representatives | +10 | +5 |
| Woodnorton | Have mapped the membership and all the FM staff are members no further scope | 0 | 0 |
| Total | - | +476 | +266 |
BBC Worldwide
243 In BBC Worldwide membership density is now at 5.3% (116 members to 2,170 staff).
244 There had been some success on the recruitment front, with a rise in the numbers actually joining. This is mainly due to the efforts of the recruitment officer on the branch committee, who is now leaving the company.
245 The target for 2003 is to have a net gain of 25 members. (To reach 10% density would require a net gain of 110!)
246 Jim Johnston will be speaking to the representative in News in order to start to map the membership in that area and also speak to Dave Langton in Bush House about carrying out the same exercise in World Service. The target for both these areas is a 5% net increase, which translates to 25 members in News branch and 15 members in Bush branch.
247 There are active reps in Resources and Technology who were engaged on mapping the membership and targeting non-member
BBC Transmission
Merlin
248 Recruitment here in 2002 has been disappointing. We completed the membership map as agreed and did a recruitment day at Lincolns Inn Field where three staff joined on the day and only five overall. I have site visits with Sandy Ross in November to Warwick and a new acquisition in Worcestershire. The company are actively pursuing a new MOD communications contract called 20/24, which would bolt on around 150 new employees if it were successful. I await more detail as the discussions with Merlin appear to be at a sensitive stage and not much detail has been made public. I intend to update the Merlin membership map as an ongoing recruitment tool. My target for recruitment in Merlin for 2003 is 30, which would raise the membership density to over 50%. This figure will obviously require to be adjusted upwards in the event of Merlin acquiring a significant number of new staff.
Crown Castle
249 Recruitment here in 2002 was low with only eight recruits. There was a redundancy programme in the first half of the year with the loss of 57 jobs and there is ongoing discussions on outsourcing of rigging services which will include redundancy for seven staff aged 57+ and TUPE transfer for around 40 other staff with only ten riggers being retained by CCUK. Our membership density is high among this group. I intend to generate a membership map similar to the Merlin one; I have at last received a complete UK staff list from the employer. I will target our recruitment site visits and other recruitment activity in conjunction with Norman Craggs. My target figure for recruitment in Crown Castle for 2003 is 25, which would raise the membership density to over 30%.
Transmission general
250 It is my firm belief that there is a degree of resistance among our activists in transmission to the concept of the organising model and confusion over what is expected of them in terms of recruitment and retention activity. With this in mind I intend to convene special meetings of our reps in both companies to specifically discuss the organising for growth model. I intend to meet these reps separately by company, Merlin, 12-14 reps, Crown Castle, 20-25 reps. I will inform Luke Crawley and you once dates have been set in order that you can both have some input into these meetings. I would request some additional specialist educational/training resource be allocated for this activity.
LST and Service Partners
251 Numbers for the branches as at the 3 October 2002 stand as follows:
Wilson James 125 (current) 121 (paid-up)
OCS Ltd 71 (current) 67 (paid-up)
Eurest/Sutcliffe 38 (current) 36 (paid-up)
BBC LST 107 (current) 99 (paid-up)
Wilson James Ltd
252 We currently have five reps (not including those who transferred from the BBC) four in Central London, and one at Elstree; we also have a contact at White City. These reps are growing in confidence and have accompanied colleagues to disciplinary hearings as well as investigative meetings - they also continue to assist in recruitment. Efforts are being made to encourage members in West London to become reps.
253 To date, we have only been able to obtain a staff list for Wilson James Ltd. Although this list is not particularly up-to-date (we have requested for an updated list), by all indications there are about 300 security officers working on the BBC contract in London. We therefore have about 40% of Wilson James staff in current membership. It is hoped that recruitment will continue to increase steadily as a result of successful negotiations with the employer with regard to the proposal for changes to the pay structure.
OCS Ltd
254 There are four reps, three at TV Centre and one at Bush House - although they assist with recruitment, none of these reps has accompanied colleagues to meetings with management.
255 When we requested an up-to-date staff list from the company we were told by the Commercial Manager (Jennifer Aikman) that the company's Human Resources department will not issue such a list for fear of breaching data protection legislation. Willie Lesslie has promised to send a letter to the company, formally requesting a staff list. In the absence of a staff list therefore, it is difficult to estimate the percentage of those in membership.
256 We also still need to confirm union recognition for all staff working on the BBC contract across London as well as staff working in the Post Room at Bush House.
Eurest/Sutcliffe Ltd
257 This branch was formed with two reps both based at Broadcasting House; however these reps are now inactive and do not keep in regular contact with us. In the meantime, the numbers continue to steadily increase among staff at Bush House; I also have one contact who is not actually a rep yet, at Bush House.
258 We asked Beth Millard, Eurest HR Director, for a staff list but at the time of writing this has not been received.
259 Numbers are particularly low in this area but I am optimistic that we can at least double the current membership in 2003.
BBC LST
260 We have gained a few more members as a result of the ongoing redundancy consultations. The total number of members who transferred over to LST from the BBC on the 12 November 2002 was 97. We have nine reps (including two in Construction Management) in this branch as well as an active branch committee.
Targets
261 Looking forward therefore, my overall target in this area for 2003 is 400 - it is my intention to recruit the remainder of Wilson James staff (175), and to increase numbers at OCS and Eurest/Sutcliffe by approximately 100% respectively.
262 This, I believe, is not too optimistic a target because the numbers will definitely increase if the planned negotiations are successful, i.e. changes to pay structure at Wilson James, pay negotiations at Eurest/Sutcliffe as well as at OCS.
263 It is also my intention to have fully functional branch committees by the end of the first quarter of 2003 - currently the BBC LST branch committee is the only formed and functioning branch committee in this area.
264 At the moment, liaison meetings are held with OCS - however, none have been held with Wilson James even though the mechanism for this has been set up, as well as Eurest and LST.
Retention
265 Retention is a problematic issue in these areas because of the high staff turn over experienced by the various companies. This is a problem that is somewhat outside of the union's hands.
266 Following on from the positive feedback from the reps training course which took place in February 2002, we continue to receive enquiries about when we will be running another course. I hope that we will be able to organise a similar course during the first quarter of 2003.
New Starters
267 We will continue to issue the new starters application pack on a monthly basis, forward the names of those new starters to site reps within BBC and provide statistical information as required to SO Luke Crawley.
BBC Scotland
268 Staffing levels and membership within BBC Aberdeen and Inverness remain fairly stable with minimal turnover of staff. BECTU reps are in place at both sites.
269 In Edinburgh staffing levels have reduced by around 50% as a result of the move to the new building. There were, however, only a handful of voluntary redundancies, as most staff transferred to Glasgow, or moved to home working.
270 It is intended, during 2003, to conduct a complete mapping of these sites, to update our information, but this is not expected to yield significant result in terms of recruitment.
271 BBC Glasgow however, maintains staffing levels of around 900, as well as a substantial number of fixed/short-term contracts, as a result of the recent increase in programme making.
272 The mapping exercise, begun in 2002, will continue throughout 2003, with weekly-dedicated visits to the BBC. Continuing and sustained negotiations with BBC Scotland throughout 2002 have, and continue to provide, current information on staff details and contract status. This is being fed into the mapping exercise, which has also assisted identifying a number of stewards in departments already mapped e.g. Trillium, Mitie, Subtitling and New Media.
273 Through 2003 we will be working to provide training to these stewards, as well as revitalising the committee. Given historical membership levels, it must be our long term aim to return the membership levels to at least the 500 mark. In 2002, the membership has been brought up to the 300 level, and I would seek, with dedicated support in 2003, to gross 70 new members, with an aim for a net gain of 50 members.
Recruitment in Independent Broadcasting
Appraisal of 2002
274 The year has been one in which the division has faced continuing and increased demands from existing and potential members. New recognition agreements have been achieved at MTV, ITFC and Meridian Broadcasting in moves which have underlined the validity of the new statutory procedures and which have confirmed the need of the industry's staff for the collective representation which BECTU provides.
275 Coupled with attempts to extend the division's reach, officials have assisted members, particularly in ITV and in NTL, to defend their interests in the face of determined efforts from the employers to attack employment and staff terms and conditions. The fallout created by the collapse of ITV Digital has wrought major damage on ITV's trading position and credibility. The companies have also been seeking to reposition themselves - by reducing their cost base - in anticipation of new legislation intended to permit the creation of a single ITV company. The ITC's agreement with the ITV companies to standardise regional output also equipped the companies with further justification for job cuts in programme making and in transmission.
276 The division's staffing has been down by two national officials consistently since April 2002. Membership of the division has remained stable despite a number of redundancies.
Objectives for 2003
277 The division will focus on the following objectives - assuming full staffing - for the period:
- Development of representatives and organising within ITV with particular emphasis on the Granada and Carlton companies;
- Servicing of members' needs across independent broadcasting;
- Development of representatives, servicing and organisation within ntl:
- Extension of activity to organise further in the Sky companies
Granada
278 Granada is the predominant company in ITV; it is essential that the BECTU acts to protect and develop its position within the company; Communications legislation will strengthen the commercial imperatives of the company and the employer will continue to seek to attack employment and staff terms and conditions. BECTU needs to strengthen its position both in respect of Granada's continued management and in response to the possibilities of a third party buyer. Organisation at GTV, YTV and LWT should provide the focus for organisation in 2003.
Carlton
279 BECTU needs - as a matter of urgency - to further develop its collective bargaining and organising infrastructure within the company. Nottingham and Birmingham continue to be the strongest branches; HTV's organisation is poor and Carlton London and West Country are effectively non-existent. Our ability to make progress here will depend on a settled team of national officials.
ntl:
280 A prolonged programme of restructuring, leading to a reduction in the workforce from some 20,000 to 13,000 employees has proved to direct BECTU's resources away from the key areas of recruitment and reorganisation. The more settled position going into 2003 coupled with success in the advanced discussions to extend BECTU's recognition agreement in the Business Division (possibilities exist too in the Home Division) should provide for a more focused work in this area.
Sky Companies
281 Good teamwork and organisation led by Paul McManus and Margaret McGrevey in Scotland has brought BECTU to the position where a claim for recognition amongst Sales staff has been submitted to the CAC. The intention is to follow this with a claim for recognition amongst Operations (Resources) staff at Osterley. Sky will continue to need dedicated effort and significant resources in 2003.
General servicing
282 The IB division will of course want to respond to the collective and individual needs of its members whether they work in commercial news, commercial radio, cable and satellite, support services or for the regulators the ITC and the Radio Authority. The division can foresee demands from our regulatory members in the light of the creation of OFCOM and will continue to take part in key meetings called to determine the industrial relations shape of OFCOM.
283 Recruitment Target - a full staffing should enable the division to make headway with the key organisational objectives outlined above; we would therefore aim to increase the division's membership by 15% or approximately 450 members.
Recruitment in the Arts & Entertainment division
284 The following table shows, by Subdivisional Committee, the number of members recruited in 2001 and the number in 2002:
| SDC | 2001 | 2002 |
| TMA | 393 | 356 |
| WET | 208 | 300 |
| NHT | 146 | 105 |
| ITHE | 81 | 111 |
| UGC | 49 | 64 |
| ODN | 57 | 45 |
| ART | 82 | 61 |
| LEI | 21 | 4 |
| ICIN | 93 | 46 |
| Totals | 1130 | 1092 |
285 There was therefore a net loss of 38 members at the end of 2002. This figure compares badly with the net increase of 300 expected in the division as a consequence of the union's 2002 Recruitment and Retention Strategy. Over the course of the year the division's income was projected to exceed target income, but it is noted that quarterly income can fluctuate significantly.
286 For the first three quarters of the year, the divisional income had increased by £56,000. This could not be solely due to the marginal increase in membership, but was the result of significant pay increases and, more probably, having members who were in higher paid jobs or were working more regularly.
2002 Strategy by industrial area
Cinemas
287 The use of lay activists within the Odeon chain has not led to an increase in members recruited, and although the union's profile may have been raised, this exercise will not be repeated.
288 A number of visits were made to UGC Cinemas, and coupled with a more active SDC, has led to an increase in members recruited.
289 Negotiations with the Oasis cinema group are progressing towards recognition, although the number of members recruited was unlikely to reflect the increase in 2001.
Leisure
290 As per the strategy, we have now secured statutory recognition at Sovereign Leisure. However, the Leisure SDC is not a priority for recruitment purposes, as the figures show.
Arts Centres and Regional Theatres
291 Nearly all the targeted sites have been visited, with varying results. Some venues have seen significant increases in membership and union activity. At all venues it has been the intention to identify and train activists, thus ensuring that the internal organisation is in place from which to build.
National Houses
292 At ENO targeted recruitment at administration and FOH grades was not particularly successful, although there has been more interest recently as a consequence of the uncertainty surrounding the company's future.
293 At the RNT there was a significant increase in membership in the production departments, notably in the costume department. In the FOH areas at both RNT and ROH recruitment activity has been relatively low profile and largely unsuccessful.
West End Theatres
294 In the first third of the year, more new members were recruited than during the whole of 2001. This was solely due to activity surrounding the pay dispute. However we have not yet been able to build on the successful outcome of the dispute.
295 A number of initiatives within the strategy were initiated on a cross-divisional basis. The General Secretary wrote to all new members. This was helpful in identifying potential activists and steps are now in place to build on this interest. We also need to ensure that all members get a copy of the benefits booklet as there is a distinct lack of available information with numerous respondents seeking any information.
296 OFG courses have been popular with those who have attended, despite ongoing administration problems, and have significantly improved our organisation at a grass roots level.
2003 Strategy
297 The union is gradually moving towards an organising culture and I would seek to ensure that all A&E representatives take part in, at least, the basic OFG Courses. Responses to the reps questionnaire have indicated that training in recruitment techniques is one of the most frequently sought type of training for representatives. However, only six out of 48 respondents in the A&E division have been on an OFG course (eleven out of 181 respondents across the union). This needs to be improved during 2003. The A&E division will seek to develop a network of lay reps to use their experience to assist recruitment initiatives and advise members. A committee comprising the chairs from all the constituent SDCs has been set up to implement this part of the strategy and is currently mapping our various representatives.
298 Across the A&E division there are no obvious major sites or companies where we have recognition that we can specifically target during 2003. However, even despite the loss of members at the RSC and the uncertainty at ENO, I am confident that we can increase Divisional membership, and income by 5% during the year. This can be achieved by focusing on training existing representatives, establishing and training new representatives at all sites, and by focussing recruitment activity on specific issues such as low pay, or particular departmental problems. We will also use the TOSCA Project to increase union activity at targeted companies.
Art Centres and Regional Theatres
299 The success of the campaign against low pay in TMA theatre will prove to doubters that we can make a real difference to their rates of pay and working life. I believe that a net gain of 250 members is achievable, specifically targeting:
- Hackney Empire
- Ocean Arts Centre
- Stratford East Arts Complex
- Edinburgh Theatres Branch
- Apollo Manchester Theatres
- Lowry Centre
- Grand Theatre and WYP in Leeds
West End Theatres
301 Following the successful outcome of the pay dispute the re-organisation of the branch continues, while consolidating their achievements. The joint forum with SOLT also gives us the opportunity to extend our recognition areas away from solely traditional grades, and into sound and automation for example. There are currently recruitment opportunities in box offices, including CBOs, and in wigs and wardrobe departments. We should also be ensuring that pre-production meetings are held more frequently.
302 Central box offices remain unrecognised throughout the West End. In the course of 2003 we will identify the CBO with the best potential for recognition. Our attempts will be resisted by the employers and significant resources will be needed, but if successful we will then attempt to pick off the others.
303 We will also be looking to reorganise the branch and increase the number of trained activists so that there is at least one per theatre who will be able to deal with basic problems. We believe that a net increase of 70 members is achievable.
National Houses
304 I believe that it will be possible to offset the membership losses at the Royal Shakespeare Company, about 100 in total, by recruiting a similar number in front-of-house positions at the Royal Opera House and Royal National Theatre. However, the income generated will be significantly less than that at the RSC.
Leisure
305 As previously stated, we will continue to target individual companies for recognition with the support of local branches.
Cinemas
306 Membership within our recognition grades at UGC and Odeon is at about two-thirds and unlikely to improve significantly. I would expect a significant increase in membership at the Oasis group as a consequence of our campaign for recognition. I also expect our membership in Apollo Cinemas to improve significantly.
307 Across the whole of the cinema sector we believe that a net increase of 50 members is achievable.
Freelances
308 When resources allow we will be targeting freelance workers in the theatre and live entertainment industries. We had a stall at a few trade shows in 2002 and intend to do so again in 2003 in order to build on the interest generated. Cheap public liability insurance is a good recruiter, although not necessarily for the correct reasons.
Summary
309 All the National Officials who work in the A&E division have contributed constructively to this report and have identified their specific recruitment targets.
310 As in previous years, the main recruitment opportunities are in the theatre and arts centre sectors. I expect a net increase of 250 in these areas, with a further increase of 50 in cinemas, giving 300 in total.
Recruitment in the London Production division
311 Our ability to deliver on our 2002 targets was badly hit by the general state of the industry, with simultaneous downturns in film, TV and commercials production. Continuing staffing problems have also played their part, but in the second half of the year we have appointed two new substantive National Officials and this is already having an impact on our effectiveness.
Target activities in 2002
312 Studio/location visits. With a return to a near-full complement of Officials we now operate a regular rota of studio visits. This is working well, maintaining visibility, and strengthening contact with productions.
313 Graduates/New Entrants. Jointly with skillsformedia we mailed 1,500 media courses and academics to draw attention to BECTU graduate membership. Talks to selected colleges continue.
314 Post production & Facilities. Various initiatives have been run in this area, including leafleting the post-production houses, open meetings, advice surgeries, and joint sessions with skillsformedia. No break-throughs have occurred but the Post Production branch has grown over the past year.
315 Craft branches. Progress here has been patchy. This will be a major focus of activity in 2003.
316 New joiners. We now convene regular meetings for members at the end of their first year in BECTU, and these are proving to be quite successful.
317 Inter-divisional Transfers. Systems are in place to respond to redundancies and help permanently employed members make the transition to freelance branches.
Targets for 2003
318 Our focus in 2003 is on 15 target branches. Each of these has been identified as having growth potential. This does not mean that all of these target branches have been growing recently: some, including the Art Department and Set Crafts, have been declining. But the union must retain a presence in these crucial areas, and we are convinced that a potential for renewed growth is there.
319 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 50 members or more over 2003 are:- Camera Dept., Film Artistes, Post Production & Facilities, Producers/Directors.
320 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 25-49 members over 2003 are:- Art Dept., EMI, Modelmakers, Production & Management Support, Set Crafts, Sound.
321 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 10-24 members over 2003 are:- Graduates/New Entrants, Grips & Crane Technicians, Media Make Up & Hair, Researchers & Writers, Special Effects.
322 In addition we have identified Eastenders as a prime target for organisation and recognition, and The Bill as a secondary target depending on continuity of production.
323 Our overall target is for net growth of 525 in LPD membership over the course of 2003.
Recruitment in the Regional Production division
2002 strategy
324 Our strategy for 2002 has by and large been carried through. The number of production and location visits has in particular increased and we have higher visibility than ever before on regionally-based drama series and soaps.
325 Target branches initially identified for 2002 were those which had experienced some decline, against RPD's generally rising trend. This was revised in the course of the year as we focused increasingly on growth potential as the key factor.
2003 strategy
326 All eight target branches in RPD reflect the reality of five major national/regional production centres: Scotland, the M62 axis, South Wales, Bristol, and Birmingham.
327 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 50 members or more over 2003 are: Mersey Television, South Wales.
328 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 25-49 members over 2003 are: North West, Scottish, Western, Yorkshire & Humberside.
329 Branches where we are looking for a net increase of 10-24 members over 2003 are: International Association of Wildlife Filmmakers, West Midlands.
330 The regional nature of the freelance labour market, and of BECTU's RPD branch organisation, mean that freelance organisation and recognition campaigns can be tied in directly to branch recruitment. Prime targets here are Emmerdale (Yorks & Humberside), Casualty (Western), River City (Scottish) and the BBC Natural History Unit (IAWF).
331 Our overall target is for net growth of 240 in RPD membership over the course of 2003.
Recruitment in the Laboratories and NBV/Audio Duplication division
2002 strategy
332 We failed to achieved our modest growth target in 2002. We face a situation here where - with one notable exception - our membership density is high in the workplaces where we are recognised, with little scope for further growth.
2003 strategy
333 2003 will be a difficult year in the Labs division. We expect an initial round of redundancies at DeLuxe Laboratory with more to come in 2004, and at DeLuxe Video in Brentford. A major priority will be to offset these losses by building our membership at DeLuxe Video's new distribution plant at Enfield.
334 There is little potential for growth at the other labs: BFI National Film & TV Archive, Colour Film Services, Film Lab North, Soho Images, and Technicolor.
335 Our prime target for new organisation and recognition is Todd-AO.
336 Our overall target is for net growth of 15 in Labs membership over the course of 2003.