GFTU BGCM Minutes 2017

spreading the word around the country, because I can’t be everywhere and

anywhere.

We have got about 332 members and it is stable. It has stayed like that since

we set up back in 2014 and at least a third of those members are that core

group that joined three years ago which is really heartening, it is really, really

good. We are getting a gradual increase. We have spikes of membership

recruitment whenever there is anything political going on, so each time there

has been both those rounds of Jeremy Corbyn going for leadership we have

loads of people emailing us saying, “Are you affiliated to the Labour Party? Can

I join as a member?” So there is that politicisation which does make a

difference to our membership recruitment, so although we are non-party

political, we are not affiliated to any political party, we obviously try and ride off

the back of any campaigns and talks and discussions going around that.

Back in June 2016 we finally got our certificate of independence. Two years of

fundraising, filling forms in and worrying a lot in case we did not get that

certificate, so that certificate was massive for us as a trade union, because it

meant that we could then affiliate properly to the GFTU. We have been

hanging around the GFTU since we first met Doug and we have had a lot of

support from any events we have gone to, but to have that affiliation was

massive. We also affiliated with the TUC. We have started the process of

affiliating with the FEU. But it also gives a really clear message to the big bods

out there, the big arts organisations, that we are serious, we are really serious

about what we are doing, we are not just some art group, professional

organisation.

So where we are now is we need to increase our membership, we have to

increase our membership, not just to be financially stable, but we have to have

that mandate. I was over in Liverpool the other week and I was meeting up

with North West TUC and they have organised a cultural networking event.

Two members, two Artists Union England members in Liverpool. It is

massively cultural, Liverpool, it is huge. Why on earth have we only got two

members over there? I have no idea. So I went over there, spoke to people,

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