TUC Digital - Supporting digital-first trades unionism.

Four digital challenges for unions that might be better tackled as a movement

At the TUC Digital Lab, we ran a survey amongst our affiliated unions, looking at their readiness for digital transformation. We found a mixed picture, with a number of technical and cultural areas where unions need to do more to meet the rising digital expectations of their membership and future members.

The report made some recommendations for union leaderships in evaluating their best next steps for their organisations. But it also suggested some areas where unions could benefit by working together on digital.

What does ‘digital’ mean for your union?

One of the challenges in looking at the experience of digital in UK unions is that there isn’t really any single accepted definition of ‘digital’ across the movement. Different unions currently have quite different conceptions of what digital means to them.

Measuring our digital journey: A survey of UK unions

Next year, millennials will make up more than 50% of the workforce. Those who entered work during the internet age are nearly all instinctively digital-first. They’re also mobile – connected throughout the day, from wherever they are.

Finding out what makes prospective members click

There are an estimated 6,000 people working in visual effects in the UK – most of them clustered around London’s Soho. London has become one of the three international hubs for this burgeoning industry.

Getting more out of your union’s content: TUC Digital Lab workshop report

Just what do we mean by ‘content’?

Content is the lifeblood of websites, emails, social media posts, text messages, apps and more. If unions don’t have good content, where will our members find the help and advice they need? (The answer is, of course, somewhere else on the internet).

Summer Patrol: taking offline conversations to online organising

The TUC Summer Patrol is an organising campaign run by young trade union unionists in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. The aim is to visit high streets to interview and engage young workers about their workplace conditions, their legal rights, and how they can organise to improve their workplace.

#digitalunions: Staying connected

Next year, millennials will make up more than 50% of the workforce. Those who entered work during the internet age are nearly all instinctively digital-first. They’re also mobile, connected throughout the day, from wherever they are.

From Netflix to Monzo, people expect the convenience of digital services – always available, transparent, flexible, and with them in control. Those rising expectations can be hard for established organisations like unions to meet.

Are you election ready on Facebook?

As we enter a likely general election, many unions will be thinking how they can get their issues across more clearly online during such a high profile campaign moment.

Organising in the digital age: TUC Digital Lab workshop report

On Wednesday 26th July at UCL we held our fourth TUC Digital Lab session, looking at the challenges and opportunities for unions in making greater use of digital in organising.

Optimising digital engagement with union comms

Alex Lloyd-Hunter of digital agency Forward Action was one of the judges in this year’s TUC Communications Awards. And before the ceremony, he talked to a group of union communicators about his particular specialism – optimising results from digital engagement with supporters. Here’s a run through of some of the points he made that could be useful to unions.