On the first day of Prospect’s 2018 Conference, general secretary Mike Clancy praised members and reps for their hard work since Conference last met in 2016.
He said: “My passion in everything I do is to be successful on behalf of members.
“In 2016 we set ourselves a target for growth and expansion. I can say to you we are now at 142,000 members.”
Talking about the merger with arts and entertainment union BECTU, Mike Clancy talked about the targets for membership growth that were set when the unions merged, which have now been exceeded. He said that since the merger the BECTU sector is growing faster than ever, and also that the rest of Prospect is growing too giving the combined union “an unparalleled level of expertise.”
Focussing on the things that make Prospect different as a trade union, Mike Clancy focussed on the strength that comes from Prospect’s political independence, influencing across the political spectrum, and also the breadth of our members expertise – “fascinating people, doing fascinating things”.
Watch the video accompanying Mike Clancy’s speech.
The general secretary also focussed on the way Prospect uses this to negotiate for our members:
“Our aim is to be a good friend or a fearsome enemy.
“The fact we prefer evidence, the fact that we are measured, the fact that we prefer negotiation is our strength not our weakness.”
Mike Clancy also used the speech to turn to future challenges, from the future of collective bargaining, to the challenge of driving forward recruitment and organising to maintain the growth in membership.
He also called on delegates not to underestimate the serious challenge of Brexit: “Everything we hold dear in terms of the regulation of workplaces, we will have to fight for everything again after Brexit. We cannot rely on promises to transpose regulations. There are plenty who want to see the race to the bottom in our workplaces.”
Ending his speech to delegates the General Secretary called on them to build on the successes of the last two years to say: “The future is ours, let’s grab it, let’s enjoy this annual conference and let’s make this one union”.