FDA guide to

recruiting new
members
Resources for FDA
representatives
 HOW TO
JOIN THE FDA
Members can join online at:
www.fda.org.uk/Joinus

Wanting paper application forms?

Contact your National Officer or the FDA’s Organiser
 I N T RODUC T ION

Why join the FDA?

We are stronger together.
Recruiting new members is
fundamental to the success of the
FDA. It is essential to make sure our
colleagues are represented at work,
they have their say in the workplace
and they are part of the FDA voice
representing civil service leaders.
It is important that everyone in the
FDA, from the General Secretary and
FDA staff, to Branch Officers, to each
and every member, talk to prospective
members about why they should be
part of the FDA and how they can
benefit from membership.
Every day we can see why colleagues
should join the FDA, from our successes
representing members in personal
cases, to working in partnership with
employers to get the best deal for FDA
members’ pay, terms and conditions, to
the work we do nationally to stand up
for the professionalism and impartiality
of the civil service. There are many
great reasons to join the FDA.
And of course, the more members we
have the greater our potential power
and influence in the workplace – put
simply we are stronger together.
Recruiting colleagues to the FDA isn’t
as hard as you think - the majority of
people say the reason they are not
currently a member is because no-one
has ever asked them - so it really is as
simple as just asking people to join!
The key thing to remember when
recruiting members is that not
everyone will join on the spot – some
will wait to join until they know more
about the FDA and they’ve seen us in
action. The key things for you to do
in your workplace is to demonstrate
action and success on bargaining issues
and raise the FDA’s visibility in your
workplace.
This toolkit outlines the key benefits
of FDA membership and some of the
approaches and activity you might
want to use to recruit colleagues in
your workplace.

It is good to be aware of the four main benefits of the FDA,

so you can tell colleagues the main reason to join:

The FDA will:

• Defend your impartiality, integrity and
professionalism.
• Help to progress your professional development.
• Be your pragmatic, influential voice in the workplace.
• Provide first-class representation.

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Benefits of
membership
There are many great reasons to join the FDA. You will have your own
experiences of representing members in a case, negotiating with your
employer to improve terms and conditions or seeing the FDA on the
national stage defending the impartiality, integrity and professionalism
of the civil service.
This section gives you information about the main benefits of being
an FDA member so you are able to confidently tell people why they
should be part of the FDA.

Excellence in personal Providing members with a

representation
The FDA is there when members need
help with a personal problem at work.
The FDA has a successful track record of
providing hundreds of members a year
with high quality, expert and trusted
employment relations advice and
representation at work. This includes
advice and representation on issues
such as:
• Bullying and harassment
• Appraisal and promotion
• Pay including performance relation
pay
• Disciplinary issues
• Capability issues
• Contractual disputes
• Internet-related allegations
• Discrimination
• Redundancy
The FDA will also get legal advice and
support if the union deems it necessary.
pragmatic and influential voice
in the workplace
We negotiate collectively, both in
workplaces and centrally. We ensure
we understand what‘s important to
our members and work in partnership
with employers, using our influence
and negotiating skills to find a solution.
Our objective is always to improve FDA
members’ working lives so they are
able to continue to provide world-class
public services.
For example, we secured more than
£200,000 for CPS Direct staff being
penalised by an unfair holiday pay
system.
“I probably would never have found
about it without the FDA. And if I had
found out about it, I probably wouldn’t
have gotten around to doing anything
about it!” FDA member

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 BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Defending members’ media presence also shows that attacks

impartiality, integrity and on the civil service keep coming. This
professionalism is why it is important that every civil
servant is a member of a union that will
It is a sad fact that civil servants, who
defend their values.
cannot publicly defend themselves, are
attacked in the media. The FDA prides
Helping members to progress
itself in standing up for the impartiality,
in their careers through
integrity and professionalism of the
FDA Learn and Keyskills
civil service.
Through FDA Learn and Keyskills we’ve
This year alone, BBC News, Sky News,
helped more than 3,700 civil servants
Channel Four News, The Huffington
to progress in their careers. We hold
Post, The Guardian, Buzzfeed, The
courses in workplaces that are attended
Times, The Mail, The Metro and Politics
by hundreds of civil servants each year.
Home have reported the FDA standing
up for its members and being the Alongside Dods, we run the prestigious
professional voice of the civil service. ‘Women into Leadership’, ‘BME into
Leadership’ and ‘Unlocking the SCS’
We have been defending the values
courses.
and principles of the civil service for
nearly a century. When the FDA was “I was successful in being invited to
founded in 1919, we put forward the interview and then was successful at
same arguments that we do now; that the interview stage too! Thank you for
impartiality is the very heart of the running such an effective course which
civil service and is critical for a healthy boosted my confidence.” FDA member
democracy.
The civil service must have the trust
and confidence of the public - and
elected politicians - to deliver high-
quality public services. The core of that
is providing impartial, objective advice.
The FDA will always stand up for
the civil service and challenge those
who seek to undermine the trust and
confidence in the civil service.
The amount of media coverage the FDA
gets when we defend the civil service
shows that we are swift and robust in
our defence - many times we are the
first and strongest voice representing
the principles and values of the civil
service. However, the frequency of our

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BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

Other advantages to being an FDA member

Saving members money Award-winning
through FDA Portfolio communications with the FDA’s
Public Service Magazine
We offer financial and
legal help through our FDA Members receive a subscription to
Portfolio service. the award-winning Public Service
PORTFOLIO Magazine, plus regular email
FDA Portfolio offers a
newsletters updating them on what the
range of money-saving discounts for
FDA is doing both nationally and locally.
attractions, restaurants and shops
including Sainsbury’s, Odeon, John
Keeping you in touch
Lewis and many more.
Members can keep track of
FDA news by following us
on Twitter @FDA_union and
by following the General
Secretary, Dave Penman @FDAGenSec.

Accountable to you
Being a member of the FDA isn’t just This gives every member the
about having high quality, trusted opportunity to get involved and shape
professional representation or having their vision of what the FDA should be
civil service values robustly defended doing.
– it is about being part of a democratic
organisation where each and every
member can get involved and have their
say.
Members have the opportunity to
take part in the FDA’s national policy-
making every year with our Annual
Delegate Conference.
Every branch in the union is able to
submit a motion to the conference
which is then debated and voted on.
If conference votes for the motion this
becomes official FDA policy and FDA
staff work to implement this.

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 BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

We’ve had hundreds of successful cases and members have said:

“Thank goodness for the FDA. Their

support has saved my career and
enabled me to carry on working.”
FDA member

“When my appraisal didn’t seem fair, I

contacted the FDA. It helped me through
the appeals process and successfully
appealed the original box marking.”
FDA member

“I never thought I would be accused

of bullying, so when allegations were
made I didn’t know what to do. The FDA
was there to help me through some
very anxious times, providing excellent
professional advice, support and
representation. And they defended me
successfully.”
FDA member

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Demonstrating
success
One of the most fundamental reasons that people will join the FDA
is when they can see us taking action and succeeding.
A good way to get more members engaged on a local level and
joining the FDA is to find out members’ key concerns locally and
addressing them. The issues could be something like a building
move, a negotiation of a new policy or pay negotiations.
Whenever you ncounter a workplace issue - for example, pay
negotiations - you should think about how you are engaging with
members and think of how you could encourage prospective
members to join.

Find out the issues

Firstly, you will need to speak to Holding surgeries
members to find out what the issues A good way to reach out to members is
are. You could do this by: to hold monthly surgeries, where you
Holding branch meetings make yourself available for an hour or
two so that members can drop in and
Holding regular branch meetings is
ask you questions or for your advice.
a good way to build a strong branch
because it shows the branch is active, You could consider opening the
relevant and members support one surgeries up to non-members - they
another. can be a good opportunity to answer
questions about the FDA and the
Branch meetings should be inclusive
benefits of FDA membership. However,
so you should try to make the effort
you would need to make it clear that
to invite new members to come along
you can’t represent non-members with
and make sure that members can
a personal case or represent a new
participate.
member on a pre-existing issue.
You can consider holding an open
meeting and inviting prospective
members along so they can see what
the FDA is all about.

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 D E M O N S T R AT I N G S U C C E S S

Develop a strategy and plan work yourself, the point of the union is
to work collectively!
Then, you need to take action – firstly
you should think about what your Make sure you are keeping members
members and the branch want you updated as and when you can.
achieve (e.g. what is your objective?).
Communicate your success!
You should then think about what
actions you need to take to achieve the It is really important to remember to
objective. feedback to members that you have
taken action on their behalf following a
You should also think about how you
meeting with them. Also make sure you
engage with the employer, the other
update them on what you’ve achieved.
trade unions and most importantly,
members and prospective members.

Keep members involved

and updated
The purpose of all of the FDA’s work is
to improve members’ working lives – so
you should think about how you can
make sure you are involving members
in what you are doing.
Remember, you don’t need to do all the

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Increasing the
visibility
of the FDA
A major reason for people not joining unions is that they have never
been asked. We can’t just wait for potential members to come to us - we
need to make the effort to go and speak to them.
Speaking to people who have taken
up a new position gives you a chance
to welcome them to the department
from the FDA and illustrate that we are
visible in their workplace. This isn’t
about a ‘hard-sales’ pitch - this is about
having a conversation with a colleague.
As members or reps in departments,
you often have the opportunity to talk
to potential members and you are best-
placed to talk about what is happening
in your workplace.
A good place to start the conversation
with the member is to think back to
why you joined the FDA. The reason
you chose to join might well be the
reason they decide to become a part of
the FDA. Talking about why you joined
and your positive experience gives
something for people to relate to.
Once you know what’s important to
someone, you can then talk about what
the FDA is doing or could do on that
issue.
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Here are a few opportunities you
take to increase visibility in your
department…
Inductions
A big intake of new staff presents a
great opportunity to meet lots of new
starters all at once.
Of course inductions happen differently
across departments, teams and roles.
You could ask for your branch to be
given time to talk about what you do as
a presentation to the new group.
Alternatively, there may be a communal
area where you can set up a stall. Find
out when the large intakes of new staff
are scheduled and how the FDA can
have a presence at the induction events.
Walk-around
Sometimes it can be useful to do an old
fashioned walk-around.
This is exactly as it sounds – take some
time, walk round the building and chat
to staff and introduce yourself.
 I N C R E A S I N G T H E V I S I B I L I T Y O F T H E F DA

If your branch is across multiple sites
and you’re visiting a site that you don’t
personally work at, it can be a good idea
to do this with a member there, so they
can introduce you to the new starters
(as well as the longstanding staff!).
Introduction emails
Due to multiple sites in different cities
and home working, you might not
always be able to meet a new staff
member face to face.
If that’s the case, send an email to the
new staff member introducing yourself
and the union. Make sure you include
links to more information (and how to
join the FDA!).
It is always helpful to extend an offer
to chat with them, provide information
about the next branch meeting and
offer to answer any questions they
might have.
Stalls
These work well when they are done
regularly, because it builds visibility for
the FDA. It’s also a point of contact for
both potential and existing members to
find out more about the union is doing
and how they can get more involved.
Your National Officer can help you
with emails to members to ensure we
are compliant with the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Events
Events are a great way of showing
activity and getting members and
potential members together.
If you have a local bargaining issue
-for example, a building move or a
professional issue - you could use this
to organise an event to engage with
members.
If they are interested in the issue, you
can find out their views and what they
would like the solution to be. Then you
can show what you and the FDA are
doing on the issue.
Alternatively, we can also provide some
learning and training events through
FDA Learn and Keyskills. This might be
really helpful if there is a bargaining
issue that everyone is interested in
and this can be linked to training and
learning.

Communications
Communications with the members
in the branch are really important so
that members know what we are doing
in their workplace and at a national
level. You should organise regular email
communications to members always
making sure that you are letting them
know what is going on and how they
can get more involved.

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Getting members
involved
with the FDA
When someone joins they are normally quite enthusiastic. This is a good
time to encourage people to get involved and there are lots of different
ways members can get involved in the FDA. For example:
• Attending branch meetings
• Volunteering for a role on the branch committee
• Becoming a workplace representative
• Being part of the FDA delegations to TUC equality conferences
• Volunteering to help with an FDA Learn event or being a speaker
at an FDA event
• Standing for the Executive Committee
A way that every member can become involved is by them recruiting another
member themselves! If every member recruits just one other member we will
double our membership and therefore double our power and influence in the
workplace. The easiest way to help them is to give them a copy of this booklet, so
that they will have the information - and the confidence - to encourage colleagues
to join.

Prize Draw!
Members who recruit someone to FDA can win £200 in
vouchers in our recruiter prize draw. Encourage members you
have recruited to then recruit their colleagues as they can get
entered to the prize draw – it’s not just for reps.

To enter the draw members just need to email

organiser@fda.org.uk
with the name of the person they have recruited.

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Frequently asked
questions
Although the most common reason This means keeping up the contact –
people give for not joining a union is answering their questions, inviting
that they’ve never been asked, you may prospective members to branch
come across some people who have meetings and events when it is
questions about the FDA. appropriate, doing walk-arounds and
having stalls so potential members
The first thing to remember is you will
remember who you are and can see that
never be able to recruit everyone to join
the FDA is visible.
the union.
However, very occasionally you might
If they say they don’t want to join, you
get asked a tricky question – don’t
should firstly ask them why but you
worry, it’s not that often – but we have
don’t need to give them a ‘hard-sell’, it’s
compiled some FAQs to help you.
about having a conversation.
Some will have questions about the Is the FDA worth the money?
FDA – you should be able to answer
Yes! The FDA may cost a little more than
most of the questions already from the
other unions, however amongst unions
information in this booklet.
of comparable seniority we are very
Some will want to know details of your competitive.
successes and wins locally, such as
Member subscriptions allow the FDA to:
what the FDA is doing on a local issue.
- defend members’ impartiality,
You should take the time and
integrity and professionalism;
opportunity to discuss local issues with
prospective members, and let them - help progress members’ professional
know that by joining the FDA they can development;
have a say on the issue. - be members’ pragmatic, influential
voice in the workplace; and
Some people won’t join following their
first contact with you – it will take them - provide first-class representation.
some time to get to know you and get to Significantly, we have frozen
know the FDA before they want to join. membership subscriptions until 2022.

Members can save money on various

discounts through FDA Portfolio - more
information is available on the FDA
website.

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F R E Q U E N T LY A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S

Will it negatively impact on my I’ve had a bad experience with

career? the FDA in the past.
No! The FDA has members at all levels This is the trickiest question to answer.
of management grades, including You should ask what happened because
Permanent Secretaries. it is important for us to know and
understand how members are feeling.
If we ever had a personal case where
If you can, you should discuss the issue
someone’s career was damaged by
with other representatives locally or
being involved in the union that would
your National Officer, to see what can
be something that FDA would take
be done. Always try and feed this back
very seriously. In the vast majority
to the prospective member.
of departments the FDA has a good
relationship with the management and You will never be able to recruit
works well with them. everyone to join the union and it is not
your role to give them the ‘hard-sell’
Aren’t unions a bit political? about joining. If they say they don’t
We’re supposed to be impartial. want to join, the most important thing
is to have a friendly conversation about
The FDA is not affiliated to any political why that is.
party and prides itself on acting with
political impartiality. It is important to remember that
the most common reason people
There is no ‘political bar’ on civil give for not joining a union is that
servants being a member of a trade they’ve never been asked – so the
union and the FDA is a recognised trade key is to make sure you’re talking
union in the civil service, which means to prospective members, reminding
we can represent and negotiate on them who you are and why they
behalf of our members. should be part of the FDA.
We are seen as a pragmatic and
influential trade union, one that is
willing to talk and listen to employers
and work in partnership to come to the
best deal for our members.
Sometimes we will take a robust line on
certain matters but this is always done
following a democratic decision by our
members and ultimately we always
seek to negotiate a solution for our
members

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 WE’RE HERE
TO HELP YOU!
This booklet is designed to give you all the information
you need to encourage colleagues to join the FDA.

However, if you have any questions or would like any

help (from help with ideas and planning, to help with events)
you should ask your National Officer or the FDA Organiser.
Elizabeth House,
39 York Road,
London
SE1 7NQ

www.fda.org.uk
www.wearekeystone.org.uk
@FDA_union
@We_are_keystone

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