Workplace meetings are central to developing the NEU as an effective and powerful force in your workplace.
Workplace meetings:
- Are an opportunity to make decisions collectively and democratically, so as a rep, you are mandated to negotiate changes with your employer.
- Enable you to determine how strongly members feel about an issue and the action they are prepared to take to win change.
- Send a positive message that you have an active workplace and encourages non-members to be part of the union.
- Provide a space for every NEU member to talk about their experience of work, even if they’re not someone who usually speaks up.
Plan
If it’s not an emergency issue, plan your meeting a couple of weeks in advance. The best time in schools is usually at the end of the day – but you will know what the best time is for your members.
If you find attendance is low, you can always test out different times or even do a short survey of members on what times work for them.
Advertise
Make sure you advertise your meeting – print off a copy of our bargaining calendar poster for the term from our website and add your own details.
Download a list of email addresses for your members and send them a meeting notification. You will need to first register on myNEU, if you haven’t already done so. Once you have registered, you can log into Stratum using the same username and password to access your membership list.
Don’t just rely on posters and emails – talk to colleagues in person and encourage them to take part. If you are in a larger workplace, identify active members who can help spread the word.
Pick your subject
Always have an issue that your members care about as the main subject of the meeting and let them know it will be on the agenda. Make sure you are flexible if members want to talk about something else.
The bargaining calendar identifies issues workplace groups should be discussing as a matter of course.
Chairing meetings
All meetings should have a designated chairperson whose role is to facilitate participation, encourage relevant and concise contributions and ensure the meeting runs to time. The chairperson can be yourself as rep or another member.
NEU meetings should be an inclusive space where all members feel comfortable to express their views. Reps should consider establishing an agreed set of rules for meetings to help give a clear message on expected behaviours.
At the end of the meeting, make sure that you always discuss what you’re going to do next and take a decision. Don’t be afraid of taking a vote, but if you want to just come to a consensus, then that’s also ok. Ensure you come out of the meeting confident that your members have had their say and know what decisions have been made.
Top tips
- If the meeting decides on a plan of activity around a specific issue that’s bothering members, ask who will help you out and take on specific tasks, perhaps someone will agree to speak to non-members, and another may help with a bit of research.
- The best union meetings are discussions rather than one-sided briefings. Meetings are as much an opportunity for members to tell you about their issues as they are for you to share news. Make sure you encourage participation and try and keep a relaxed atmosphere so everyone feels they can speak.
- Always remember – as a representative of a recognised trade union, you are entitled to meet your members to talk about issues to do with their work. Informing the head or other management is good practice, but you do not need permission.
- Consider using the meetings as a reason to approach non-members - ask if they’d like to come along to have their say and keep some membership forms handy so if they want to join the meeting, all they need to do is fill in a form and hand it over to you. You can order recruitment materials through our website.
- Finally, don’t worry about having to say you don’t know the answer. You don’t need to have an encyclopaedic knowledge, and sometimes members can ask some obscure questions. After the meeting, you can always contact your branch secretary or the AdviceLine to get the help you need.
