THE GENERAL secretary of the 42,000-member Mandate trade union announced ambitious plans yesterday to ensure that it is represented "in every shop, supermarket and bar across the country".
In a speech at the retail workers' union's biennial conference in Limerick, John Douglas said it was introducing significant changes to its organisational structure.
This would see it move its operating model from "servicing" to "organising and campaigning", he said, and would focus on education and training of members to help them resolve issues at a local level.
The union also plans to embark on a major campaign to organise and recruit workers in the non-union retail sector.
"We've noted over the past number of years that Mandate could never have enough staff to meet the needs and demands of all our members," he said.
"The transition to an organising model will, over time, strengthen the power of the union acting collectively with members included in all activities."
The new model was about finding ways for activists to be more confident in handling workplace issues, he said.
"Essentially what this means is that we will give our members the training and skills necessary to make sure the union is represented in every shop, supermarket and bar across the country," he said.
Brian Forbes, Mandate's new national co-ordinator of organising, campaigning and recruitment, said 11,000 members are lost every year. While it has been successful in replacing these, it was imperative that the union increase its membership even further. However, he said, the union faced a number of challenges, including "aggressive tactics used by anti-union retailers".