CONFERENCE PICTURE SPECIAL CONFERENCE
VOICES Joe Quinn
Hoping to build activism in union JOE Quinn, who has been a Mandate member for 14 years, describes organising and recruiting as something of a “pet issue” for him. “It really is a new concept in Ireland,” he told Shopfloor, “but it is vital for us. There are hundreds of thousands of workers out there who are not unionised. It is so important that we try and organise these people.” Though acknowledging that membership is the “life blood” of any union he describes the process of recruiting new members as “painstaking” and “extremely difficult”. However, Joe is heartened that Mandate – now with a National Co-ordinator, team leader and four full-time organisers dedicated to the issue – understands its importance. “The building up of a dedicated team will, I hope, mark a sea change in the way we do business. There are roughly 200,000 workers in the sector and we have 45,000, there’s a huge scope to grow. If we don’t recruit new members, we are – to use unparliamentary language – completely f***ed.” Joe, who works at Tesco’s in Bray, is particularly enthusiastic about the union’s Step Up programme, which will give activists the chance to leave the shop floor and work the organising team for a period of time. He said: “We will be launching it in three months time – it is in the embryonic stages at the moment. Step Up reps will be trained by the organisers to ‘organise, recruit and campaign’. “They will be monitored with a view to get them more training with the hope that eventually they may take up a full-time role.” Joe hopes the initiative will help to “build activism” within the union. “The simple idea is to recruit more members and by recruiting more members, it will mean there will be more full-time organisers.” He adds: “Trying to grow the union is not just about subs – it’s about making people more aware and more active. “At the end of the day, the union does not belong to any one person, it belongs to every member.” 16
Conference stalwart Gerry Battles – AKA Stone Cold Steve Austin – checks which motion is up next
Cyril Malone and Michael Manley, above, and delegate Mandy La Combre, right
SHOPFLOOR
y May 2012