Rural Organising

The following feature first appeared in the most recent edition of Landworker – you can read the full issue online here.

“Every moment is an organising opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world,” said renowned trade union activist, Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) in 1962 in America.

Organising is as vital today as it was then. It’s at the heart of Unite’s core values, being one of the union’s “three pillars” and at the top of Unite’s agenda when it comes to building the union.

Central to organising are workplace activists and the campaigns they run to fight for better pay and conditions, highlight issues and recruit new members to the union.

In the countryside organising can present challenges due to the nature of rural workplaces, travel issues and geographical spread of many branches –but Unite is up for that challenge, and Landworker has been talking to Unite’s experienced army of rural activists to get ideas and top tips to ensure workers in the countryside benefit from union membership and support.

Farmworker and branch secretary Steve Leniec highlighted the challenges, saying that, “Recruiting in rural areas, and particularly in agriculture has always been difficult. Workers are typically employed in small numbers in isolated workplaces which are difficult to access.”

Steve’s branch covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire and he sees first-hand the problems organising in farms that cover thousands of acres with high levels of mechanisation and only a handful of full-time workers.

Even where numbers are higher, such as in horticulture or field scale fruit and vegetables, for instance, labour is typically migrant, and “workers are even more difficult to recruit because of the temporary precarious nature of their work and language and cultural barriers.” 

Yet union membership is vital for short term and seasonal workers who “are easily exploited both by unscrupulous employers and also the agencies which recruit and supply them.”

Meanwhile in the New Forest, forestry worker Lorna Bailey-Towler faces similar issues.

Lorna said, “As there are very few active Unite reps in Forestry England I have taken on responsibilities to cover numerous national projects, such as sitting in on all the different meetings, dealing with pay negotiations and contract review meetings, as well as covering case work.”

Fitting these union responsibilities around her job as a habitat restoration officer leaves little time for recruiting new members, and like Steve, finds the ‘spread out’ nature of rural work a challenge. 

Lorna explained that “Staff are dispersed at different offices and work bases throughout the Forest, and don’t have regular contact at a localised point.”

Being spread out is something that Alan Daniels, Unite’s Tolpuddle branch chair understands. “Being a composite branch that covers the whole of Dorset can pose challenges,” he said.

The Tolpuddle branch has changed the way it works to accommodate this.

Alan explained, “Traditionally all the branch meetings were held in Dorchester, but last year we started alternating them between Dorchester and Poole, and this year we are aiming to expand to include Blandford and Bridport. 

“This makes it easier for members to attend meetings and get involved.” The branch is also raising its profile by having stalls and getting involved in local events. 

Alan said, “Events give us a great opportunity to explain what Unite is and how being a member can benefit workers. We had some great conversations and gave away lots of pens, notebooks and stickers, along with membership forms, to jog people’s memories when they get home.

“This year we plan to do more.”

Steve said there is sometimes confusion with some workers thinking that the NFU is the agricultural trade union for them. So the branch takes the Unite message to rural gatherings.

Steve said, “My branch has sought to raise the profile of Unite by taking a trade stand at the Annual County Ploughing Match and Country Show which is organised by local farmers!

“This is a well-attended rural event and our presence has recruited members and also demonstrated to reluctant aggies that we are not afraid to challenge farmers, who often visit the stand to see what we are about.”

In Yorkshire, Monique Mosley is a Unite convenor and line coordinator at a rural food factory. Monique agrees with the recruitment challenges highlighted by other rural Unite reps. 

Monique has found that being interested in the concerns of workers and their lives, and going to places where farmworkers gather, is the best way to organise. 

Monique said, “Despite being a female migrant of a certain age, I find that showing genuine interest opens multiple doors.”

Confidence is key. Monique often pops into rural pubs, “under duress, of course”, and chats to locals about the issues they face, getting to know the area and making friends.

Monique explained that having a thick skin is useful: “Not everyone believes in unions. Not everyone is nice. You can’t always win. Learn from that experience and use it for personal growth. Understand that we’re all different yet might have the same issues and that we all deserve an equal amount of respect.

“But I particularly love talking about livestock, tractors, chainsaws, dogs, food and the current environmental pressures. Living in a house with no heating, awaiting my new cows, going shooting clays, this all makes for a good personal background to draw from.”

Monique also suggested livestock auctions: “They are a great place to get yourself known, and I’ve signed up a fair few new members at one. Always be very confident and patient – but try not to buy livestock – I keep failing at the last one!”

There are always going to be challenges for organising in the countryside, but there are huge benefits and rewards – both for Unite and the workers we represent.

By Keith Hatch