Organising For A Change - the podcast for union builders – Details, episodes & analysis

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Organising For A Change - the podcast for union builders

Simon Sapper, Martin Smith

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/29d. Total Eps: 26

We’re fed-up, frustrated and impatient. And you should be too. Unleashed from obligations to employers. Unfiltered by gobbledegook. Uncompromised in what we say. We ask the vital questions that go to the heart of the union movement. We have 80 years of combined union building experience and the gloves are off: No holds barred, nothing left unsaid. Thanks to our supporters: Thompsons, The General Federation of Trade Unions, Pellacraft, and Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council. Contact us at organising@makes-you-think.com. Organising For A Change? Why on earth not!

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🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
16/08/2026
#97
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
15/08/2026
#84
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
14/08/2026
#72
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
13/08/2026
#60
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
11/08/2026
#35
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
10/08/2026
#20
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
13/07/2026
#94
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
04/07/2026
#90
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
03/07/2026
#74
🇬🇧 Great Britain - nonProfit
02/07/2026
#54

Spotify

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https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/dashboard/episode/e2ll57h/www.makes-you-think.com
16 shares

https://shows.acast.com/64f9ab491e6de800115f344b/67da87adf48da980924f5da6
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Score global : 42%

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Episode 6 - Banking success

Friday, September 13, 2024 • Duration 30:05

In this episode, we look at what happens when despite a great organising campaign – one where you recruit lots of people, and you make a lot of noise, and you really gain traction - and then you reach a certain point, and then enter the CAC process for formal statutory recognition, or something else happens, which means you hit a sort of ceiling, and you stop.

What then happens to the energy? What then happens to the membership? What happens to the union building process in such circumstances?

As ever, our discussion is calm, measured and derived from a combined 80 years of union activism. Where we disagree, we do so amicably. But there’s no getting away from the importance or relevance of this debate.

We’re grateful to have the support of Thompsons, the leading trade union and social justice law firm, The General Federation of Trade Unions - delivering trade union education, building solidarity and the home of StrikeMap, Pellacraft, award winning and trusted supplier of promotional goods, and Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council. Thank you all.

Organising For A Change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Sapper. Music is by Scott Holmes. It is a Makes-You-Think production. Contact the show at organising@makes-you-think.com.

Episode run time 30m05s. This episode was first published on 13 September. Next episode drops 27 September.

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Episode 5 - Silos

Friday, August 30, 2024 • Duration 24:45

Silos are a big problem for all organisations but unions in particular. High-trust and dynamic activity risks being undermined by suspicion, and dysfunctional priority-setting.

Martin and Simon explore the causes and characteristics of silos and what can be done to dismantle these barriers to effective union building, and to stop them developing to start with.

We’re grateful to have the support of ⁠Thompsons⁠, the leading trade union and social justice law firm, The ⁠General Federation of Trade Unions⁠ - delivering trade union education, building solidarity and the home of ⁠StrikeMap⁠, ⁠Pellacraft⁠, award winning and trusted supplier of promotional goods, and ⁠Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council⁠. Thank you all.

Organising For A Change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Saper. Music is by ⁠Scott Holmes⁠. It is a ⁠Makes-You-Think⁠ production. Contact the show at ⁠orgaising@makes-you-think.com⁠. Episode run time 24m45s. This episode was first published on 30 August.

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Episode 4 Disaggregation

Friday, August 16, 2024 • Duration 26:12

National pay bargaining is in decline and doesn't always work as intended. In the episode we argue that we should disaggregate the one-size fits-all approach and encourage and empower more local union activity - a race to the top if you will.

But what if local structures can’t or don’t support such a model? What might be the unintended consequences of accelerating the deterioration of national bargaining? Will there be debilitating jealousies between or within unions? We certainly don’t dodge these key questions:

Organising For A Change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Saper. Music is by Scott Holmes. It is a Makes-You-Think production. Contact the show at orgaising@makes-you-think.com. Episode run time 26m12s. This episode was first published on 16 August.

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Episode 3: Leadership

Season 1 · Episode 1

Friday, August 2, 2024 • Duration 30:08

In the new episode of Organising For A Change, we look at Leadership in the context of our unions.

We discuss how and why notions of leadership in the labour movement have become constrained within very tight parameters, and think about Machiavelli’s universal truth that what you need to do to achieve leadership status is often very different to what you have to do to preserve it.

We also look at how ideas about leadership can end up disempowering the very members unions need to enthuse and energise.

What does good, effective leadership look like in today’s movement – and how can we give ourselves the best chance of securing it?

Two things are for sure – first, that the best leaders of tomorrow are those we don’t even yet know. And second, we need to leave space for those future leaders to develop, grow and, yes, lead.

We’re grateful to have the support of ⁠Thompsons⁠, the leading trade union and social justice law firm, The ⁠General Federation of Trade Unions⁠ - delivering trade union education, building solidarity and the home of ⁠StrikeMap⁠, Pellacraft⁠, award winning and trusted supplier of promotional goods, and ⁠Battersea and Wandsworth Trade Union Council⁠. Thank you all.

Organising for a change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Sapper. Music is by ⁠Scott Holmes⁠. It is a ⁠Makes-You-Think⁠ production. Recorded in April 2024, first published August 2024.

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A 4 Day Working Week and Universal Basic Income

Season 1 · Episode 2

Friday, July 19, 2024 • Duration 26:08

As union builders prioritise holding Labours feet to the fire over their existing commitments to 33 new workers’ rights, its important that we make the government understand we will always want more and UBI/4DW pilots are also on our agenda. Always have a claim on the table!

The notion of a UK standard four day working week has gained fresh impetus with the election of a new government. A second major trial is planned - run by the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign and flexible working consultancy Timewise, and due to report in later 2025.

In this episode, Martin and Simon discuss why the idea was so strongly opposed by the outgoing Conservative government, and (spoiler alert) whether that stance was motivated more by antipathy to workers’organising to take more control over their working hours than any evidence base about the virtues (or otherwise) of a shorter working week.

Because let’s face it, when a quarter of the workforce can't get enough hours of work and want more because of low pay and broadly, a quarter of the workforce are working far too many hours and being overworked, we’ve got a problem and one that it is imperative we address. We mull over what that means in practice and why the prize for getting this right is wider, deeper and bigger than many may recognise.

But if the campaign for a 4 day working week is attracting a fair following wind, calls for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) are in far rougher waters.

We debate exactly how and why UBI is linked to four day working and argue that UBI can be a far more effective and beneficial form of state subsidised pay than the current benefits arrangements.

Episode 1: Labour

Friday, July 5, 2024 • Duration 29:30

In this episode Simon and Martin look back to 1997 and argue that unions were too much in awe of the Labour landslide of that year, and failed to reap the best set of outcomes from a relatively benign political environment, despite many notable advances.

Now, unions are growing in membership and strength and relevance for the first time in decades. With a new government getting their feet under the table, it’s time to get off our knees.

Crucially, how can we learn the lessons of 1997 and avoid the mistakes? Listen and find out!

Organising for a change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Saper. Music is by Scott Holmes. It is a Makes-You-Think production. Recorded in April 2024, first published July 2024.

Total run time 29m21s

Organising for A Change - The Trailer

Season 1

Wednesday, June 12, 2024 • Duration 02:48

Episode 7 How and Why people join unions

Friday, September 27, 2024 • Duration 29:10

Welcome to Series 2.

In this episode, we're going to talk about how and why people join unions, and it’s not just because it's obviously the right thing to do.

Over the last 30 years we can probably say we know a lot more than people might think about the dynamics about how and why people join unions.

While the power of data is growing and is phenomenal in terms of helping us understand the how and the why. But the fundamentals don't actually change much, and we discuss how the 5 C’s are still at the core of any union building strategy.

So far so good, and potentially very powerful stuff. So to find out what the 5 C’s are, and why (and if) they still hold good, listen and make up your own mind!

Episode run time 29m10s. Organising For A Change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Sapper. Music is by Scott Holmes. It is a Makes-You-Think production. Contact the show at orgainsing@makes-you-think.com. This episode was first published on 27 September. Next episode drops 11 October.

Episode 8 - Leading change

Friday, October 11, 2024 • Duration 30:13

Organisationstend to do what they were designed to do, And unions were designed quite a long time ago in some cases. And what they need to do and what they actually do has kind of diverged.

Unfortunately, there's no theory of change a union can take off the shelf and say, right, if we do that, that'll work. You have to start in your own organisation.

Easy to say, more difficult to do - Simon and Martin share their decades of union experience to try and come up with a few pointers.

Episode run time 30m07s. Organising For A Change is presented by Martin Smith and Simon Sapper. Music is by Scott Holmes. It is a Makes-You-Think production. Contact the show at organising@makes-you-think.com. This episode was first published on 11 October. Next episode drops 25 October.

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Episode 9 - Union building in schools

Friday, October 25, 2024 • Duration 26:01

We are joined for this episode by Avril Chambers, the driving force behind one of the GMB union's biggest union building successes - organising school support staff. Avril shares the background to identifying and then union building amongst a new workforce of several hundred thousand. Those who say "it can't be done", "it costs too much", "it will never work" need to pay particular attention. The rest of us can only listen in admiration! More information at gmb.org.uk/public-services/schools-academies-and-education/. Companion blog here!

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Organising For A Change - the podcast for union builders – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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Latest published episodes

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Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Organising For A Change - the podcast for union builders – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other22

Spotify1

Acast1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other22

Spotify1

Acast1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify