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GFTU and co operation
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this model and will be asking affiliates to consider investing in our project for
guaranteed returns that will not be as volatile as the markets and will help us
create jobs and high quality facilities at Quorn for the whole Movement.
Equally we are continually exploring new services and initiatives which will help
affiliates and expand the work of the Trust - wherever you work there are
significant gains from sharing support and good practice especially when there
are economies of scale and best value.
One way that we have achieved this at the GFTU has been through the
establishment of a number of professional networking groups (General
Secretaries, HR, Finance, ICT, Health and Safety etc.) to ensure union officers
who often work in isolation and may not have an internal peer group, receive
appropriate levels of support.
There are also clear advantages to taking away some of the routine tasks that
can potentially slow Unions progress and at times frustrate their efforts and to
allow affiliated Unions to focus on their raison main purpose, concentrating on
the needs of Union members and not getting bogged down with back office
functions. Where unions have requested it we have taken on such functions
under service level agreements and saved them money and time.
We believe that unions deserve the best professional advice on everything from
investments to ICT and have spent time making arrangements with companies
keen to bring high level professional expertise to bear economically on the
development of our Movement.
What we mean by Shared Services and what we don’t mean?
Shared Services should be;
A way of being more effective, stronger and sustainable.
Partnership working at it’s best, being well thought out, communicated,
delivered and managed well.
An opportunity to share support and good practice.
Provide economies of scale and best value.
Provide timely solutions to challenges.
Reversible.
Enhance union organisation.
Shared Services shouldn’t be;
Union Mergers through the back door.
A ‘one size fits all’ solution, there benefits to a ‘pick and mix’ approach.
Undertaken lightly.
Just beneficial to one side.
A form of privatisation under another name
The journey so far