Public and Commercial Services Union

You may have heard the words 'organising' and 'servicing' used to describe trade unions - but do you know what they mean?

The words 'organising' and 'servicing' are trade union jargon for two different styles of union.

Although they are very different there can be areas where they overlap - eg there is a small amount of servicing in an organising union.

The way we talk to members and potential members has an impact on their understanding of why PCS exists and how it operates. The points below summarise the main differences between an 'organising' and a 'servicing' union.

In an organising union:

• the members are the union
• members pay a subscription to become actively involved - they understand the importance of working together
• members are trained and encouraged to work collectively to campaign on workplace issues and for improvements
• the union is proactive - it gives members the power to take up and resolve issues themselves and non-members are recruited around these issues and this philosophy
• paid officials and activists provide support and advice to help members win in the workplace
• an organising union is member led - everyone plays their part in ensuring the union is active in every workplace
• the union cannot be separated from the workplace as members and management understand that the workers are the union.

In a servicing union:

• members see the union as a third party
• they pay a subscription for which they receive services from a representative or paid official
• members aren’t involved in the union and only see the union as the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff – workplace insurance
• very few people do union work and reps ‘sell’ the union to non-members on the cheap benefits they’ll receive - for example, wills, travel insurance, legal advice and representation
• the union is reactive to people’s problems - communication comes from paid officials and not from members
• the union is seen as an organisation that exists outside and separate from the workplace.