Wolverhampton TUC #heartunions week – trade union recruitment stalls
Join us this year, on our stalls from 10-30am on:
Saturday 15 Feb 2025 outside Wolverhampton market https://www.megaphone.org.uk/events/heartunions-wolverhampton
& Sunday 16 Feb @ Bilston High St https://www.megaphone.org.uk/events/heartunions-bilston
#HeartUnions is a national TUC campaign week 10-16 February of activity where the trade union movement celebrates unions, the good that we do and encourages people to join a trade union.
During the week we do two simple things:
1. demonstrate how brilliant unions are by showcasing all that we achieve for working people – especially during the cost-of-living crisis.
2. encourage as many people as possible who are already union members to ask someone they know to join one too.
#heartunions images for social media can be downloaded from https://www.tuc.org.uk/heartunions-materials-and-merchandise
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In 2024:
Our volunteers from UNITE WM6150, UNITE WM5203, UNITE WM5115, UNITE LE372, ASLEF, GMB x13 and UNISON Staffordshire recruited a number of people to various trade unions this weekend at Wolverhampton market and Bilston market, speaking to over 500 people about the benefits of being in a union, giving them our Join a Union Valentine cards and TUC #heartunions recruitment material.
Sunday 11 February 2024 @ Bilston market
On Saturday 10 Feb 2024@ Wolverhampton market – we hadn’t even set up stall and a private care worker approached us asking how to join a union.
Members of three UNITE branches, plus UNISON and GMB helped Wolverhampton TUC recruit a number of people to a variety of trade unions and gave out trade union recruitment info to several hundred more, as part of annual national campaign to tell people of the benefits of trade unionism #heartunions week.
#heartunions week 2023 – we held stalls Sat 11 Feb 2023 Wednesfield High St
and and Sun 12 Feb Bilston market, giving out cards we have produced to promote unions.
11 volunteers took part, from ASLEF, CWU, GMB, UNISON, UNITE and LP. Our ever popular annual activity was a little different this year, instead of the flowers, we gave out hundreds of greetings cards, designed by a member of our trades council, with a join a union message on the back, along with Join a Union leaflet.
We had good discussions with several potential recruits as well as with many local trade unionists from CWU, Community, TSSA, GMB, PCS, UNISON and UNITE.
164 people enquired about joining a trade union as a result of our social media advert, reaching 1,000 Wolverhampton people of working age on Instagram, 75% were women under 35; cost £26, 8-19 Feb. This was an increase 30% increase on last year’s campaign, yet we spent around half of the cost of last year’s Facebook advert. This shows the increased interest in trade unions and public support for industrial action.
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Wolverhampton TUC recruits 125 new union members – February 2022: Wolverhampton TUC ran a Join a Union campaign on social media, targeting working age people in Wolverhampton.
The campaign reached 10,236 people with 125 clicking to join a union. https://www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union
#heartunions week 14-20 February 2022
Showcasing the vital work unions do in the workplace and society and promoting recruitment to the trade union movement, support organising, and to help deliver lasting change in workplaces.
- Sat 12 Feb 2022 HeartUnions Rally 11am – To mark the start of HeartUnions Week, the Morning Star and the TUC have teamed up again to host an online rally, with: Dave Ward, CWU General Secretary: Ben Chacko, Morning Star Editor: Lee Barron, TUC Midlands Regional Secretary: Dani Harvey, PCS Midlands Regional Secretary
- Mon 14 Feb 2022 6.30pm HeartUnions: Every worker needs a union – organising call
This organising call will invite union members to talk to non-members about the union during Heartunions week, because ‘Every worker needs a union!’ - Wed 16 Feb 2022 5pm HeartUnions: Trade unions organising to win around the world –
This webinar will show how trade unions are organising to win major industrial and political victories around the world. Read the full event. - 17 Feb 2022 2pm HeartUnions webinar: Covid airborne protections in the workplace – Covid is an airborne virus, mainly spread through tiny particles in the air. Find out what unions should demand of their employers, to protect from aerosol spread in our workplaces.
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#heartunions week 8-14 February 2021
Wolverhampton TUC run a paid advertising campaign on social media using the abopve two recruitment adverts, during #heartunions week 8-14 Feb. Over 8,000 working age people from Wolverhampton saw them. There was a good response with 80 people clicking to join a union
more info on
- TUC Unions at the heart of health and safety: an update 10 February Hear the latest Covid health and safety rules and guidance vital for union reps and members, with opportunities to discuss and ask questions. We will explore how the current rules for the coronavirus are out-dated as well as the impact of vulnerable groups and workers.
- Campaign planning for union activists 10 February
- Social Media workshop – Thursday 11 February This webinar from social media expert and union member Ashley Riley will help you and empower you to use social media to help spread the message of the real difference we make.
- Value of unions in the West Midlands– Thursday 11 February 6pm
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#HeartUnions 2020:
Our very popular activity, giving out Valentine’s flowers while having more than 300 union conversations in Wolverhampton, Bilston & Wednesfield 2020
Wolverhampton
Bilston
Wednesfield
We ran stalls on Sat 8th Feb 2020 at Wednesfield market and Sun 9th Feb at Bilston market and Wolverhampton market on Fri 14 Feb.
Volunteers from UNITE, UCU, UNISON, FBU, PCS, GMB and South West CLP helped.
2020: Embedding a culture of recruiting and organising
2019: We gave out Valentine’s flowers and our own union leaflets and engaged hundreds in conversations about trade unons as part of national TUC #heartunions week
Bilston market Sunday 10th February 2019
#heartunions weekend – even more successful involving 15 different delegates and supporters in Wednesfield & Bilston, along with music from Tim Martin. Unite, Unison, CWU, PCS, MU, GMB, FBU, UCU and Students union. Over 300 people engaged with and given trade union recruitment info, details of our TUC and a Valentines flower.
Wednesfield market Saturday 9th February 2019
Sunday 11th February Bilston Market stall
Saturday 10th February 2018 Wednesfield High St stall
Tim Martin (Musician’s Union) joined us on our stalls to perform some of his songs
Every job should be a great job https://www.tuc.org.uk/campaigns/every-job-should-be-great-job
The Great Jobs Agenda is a charter for everyone to see whether you’re in a great job, that unions can use to negotiate with employers to improve things, employers can use to check how they’re doing, and we all can use to campaign for government action.
The objectives
We want workers to know when their job is a great job or a rubbish job, we want employers to sign up to make all their jobs great jobs, and we want MPs and councillors to commit to making great jobs for all a possibility.
The Great Jobs Agenda says all workers must:
be paid fairly
work in a safe and healthy workplace
be treated decently
have regular hours
get a voice on what matters at work; and
get the chance to get on in life
Take the Quiz here https://greatjobsquiz.org.uk/
Five actions to take to make your job great https://www.tuc.org.uk/great-jobs-agenda-fives-actions-you-can-take
campaign 2017
UNISON, UNITE, UCU and GMB members joined Wolverhampton & Bilston TUC’s campaigning; six came out in the snow in Wednesfield and seven in the rain in Bilston to hand out out Valentine flowers and spread the trade union message as part of a national campaigning week.
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