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Who said unions are
shrinking? USDAW adds 10,000, now has over 320,000 members Premier retail union Usdaw has received an early Christmas bonus after its membership crashed through the 320,000 barrier in December with a net increase of 10,000 members on last year. Usdaw has recruited more than 74,000 new members during 2002 in a sector that is notorious for the high turnover of staff. “This is a fantastic achievement,” said General Secretary Bill Connor. “It’s a significant milestone for Usdaw and a reflection of the more progressive climate encouraged by the Government and taken on board by some employers.” Forty new collective agreements During the last couple of years, Usdaw has signed 40 new negotiating agreements across a number of sectors and has also consolidated its relationships with the likes of Tesco, the nation’s largest private employer, where more than 100,000 staff are Usdaw members. Mr Connor paid tribute to the recruitment efforts of the union’s 6,500 representatives, its organising staff, and the recent influx of recruitment and development officers and TUC Academy trainees. “We are a progressive union whose influence and presence across the high street is growing,” he added. “I believe we will go from strength to strength. We can now realistically set our sights on the half-million mark.”
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