Stories of bargaining for better terms and conditions, improving wellbeing through branch initiatives, supporting members experiencing unfair treatment, and wins on the regrading of roles where all shared as RCM Activists gathered for the RCM’s Annual Activists Conference South this week.

‘Everybody in: Your place in the RCM’ was the theme of this year’s conference and it couldn’t be more obvious from the energy and enthusiasm of delegates why Activists are the backbone of the RCM.

Often driven by their own experiences, or witnessing colleagues being treated unfairly is the driving force for RCM members to become Activists as RCM steward Gemma, a Recruitment and Retention midwife, explained:

“I’ve been an RCM Activist for almost 10 years. I got involved because I felt I wasn’t being treated fairly at work. It’s been really interesting and challenging, but very rewarding. I’m now such an advocate for my colleagues, and I’ve had some really good outcomes supporting them. For me, it’s been a really good role for my professional self-development as well.”

Some Activists shared how just being the ‘go to’ person for questions on workplace policies and information made them consider formally signing up to become an Activist.

Others felt it was a natural an extension of their existing role, like Satnam Pal, a Practice and Development Midwife who became a learning rep after being an RCM member for nine years. She said: “I love training and education. I like keeping colleagues up to date on changes to practice or new guidelines as much as I can. I’ve always enjoyed supporting colleagues and watching them grow, so becoming a learning rep felt like a natural step for me.”

The RCM says while the Activist conferences form part of the ongoing training the RCM provides for its reps, the conferences are about much more than just formal training.

Commenting RCM’s Director for Representation and Organising, Lynn Collins, said

“Our conferences in both the north and south have not only given Activists an opportunity to share learning, but RCM staff a chance to listen and learn more about their local experiences. This enables us to make sure we are supporting them in the best way possible. Our Activists are the lifeblood of our organisation and hearing their stories of workplace wins for members is inspiring. It’s important we get together and celebrate that as well. The sharing of practical solutions and ideas to navigate challenges by delegates is also invaluable. So, I really hope those who attended left feeling inspired, supported and armed with RCM tools to continue doing the unbelievable work they do supporting RCM members.”

The RCM’s new website has a specially dedicated hub for Activists which is a one stop shop for all the essential tools Activists may need. It also includes a host of free learning and development support and practical tips on everything from running effective branch meetings to representing a member. For those considering becoming an RCM Activist there’s also more about the various roles available on the new hub.

And if you are thinking about becoming an Activist, steward and maternity support worker Chrissy Walsh shared this advice: “Do it! Give it a go. I think one of the things about becoming an RCM Activist is it can be diverse as you want, and you can invest in at as much as you want. It’s not overwhelming because you are really well supported by the RCM. So, if you have got that fire in your belly there are lots of different RCM Activists roles and one could be for you.”