Do you want to get more involved in running your branch of the London Renters Union? Do you want to get trained up to build people power? Do you want to support other members to get active in the union? Taking on a role in the LRU your chance to help build renter power.

Branch roles

All of the following roles are also members of the branch organising committee, which meetings every 6 weeks to coordiante the work of the branch.

2 x Coordinating group representatives

• See full role description of the coordinating group here: https://londonrentersunion.org/coordinating-group.
• Represents the branch’s issues, ideas and strategic thinking at the coordinating group and puts forward proposals from the branch at the CG.
• Be a point of communication between the branch and coordinating group and other parts of the union including by giving an update and asking for issues to be raised at each branch meeting.

2x Branch secretary

• Responsible for making sure the organising committee meets in a regular monthly slot and attending those meetings.
• Sends out meeting calls for agenda items and proposals, announcements/newsletter and meeting minutes to branch members.

4x Local Organiser

A local organiser is supported to develop their organising skills and work to build the power of the branch. Over the course of the year, a Local Organiser will get trained up and supported to carry out the main organising work we do at LRU:

• Recruiting new members through door knocking
• Attending and running recruitment street stalls
• Having organising conversations during phone calls
• Having one-to-ones and holding relationships with other members

Throughout the year, a Local Organiser will also be supported to do other community organising e.g. build relationships with community organisations, help lead a dispute team or a project team, and help out with coordination work like stall rotas and using the database.

To be a Local Organiser, a member must have been active for at least 3 months and be up for doing 2+ hours of organising work most weeks over the year.

2 or 3 x member solidarity team lead

• Bottom lines the member solidarity team holding a monthly/six-weekly meeting and reaches out to new members to ensure the meeting is well attended.
• Support coordination of member solidarity activities such as disputes, eviction resistance, actions and peer support spaces with members, ensuring that new members are getting involved and gaining the skills needed to do these things.
• Hold 1to1s with new team members
• Has an overview of the active cases in the team

2x Campaign Committee Representative
Representing the branch at campaigns committee meetings, taking on key role for union-wide campaigning with a focus on rent controls.

2x Education leads

• Attend Education working group meetings every two months, and keep regular and open communication between the Education Working Group and branches.
• Work with the Education Working Group on planning, strategising and evaluating education and training in branches and the wider union.
• Be a part of the branch Organising Committee and work with the rest of the Organising Committee and Branch Organiser to make sure that new and existing members are accessing training and growing in confidence and participation within the union, including by doing phone-banking and turnout for key trainings.
• Make branch members aware of union-wide education and training events
• Make the education working group aware of current training and education activities within the branch
• Be responsible for running fully accessible and empowering education events within the branch and supporting members to run them.

Trade Union Lead (Optional)

• Building relationships with local trades councils and union branches
• Organising renters’ rights trainings or other relevant activities for trade union branches
• Identifying opportunities for trade union-related outreach activities (for example, mapping where low-paid workers are organised locally, or workplace sectors where outreach activities could address
• imbalances within the composition of a branch)
• Coordinating picket exchanges between the LRU and trade union disputes (we support their disputes, they support ours)
• Signposting LRU members to appropriate trade unions
• Organising Trade Union members to share their disputes and struggles in regular LRU Branch meetings.

Communications officer 

• Liaises with local media.
  Runs social media accounts for the branch and is in touch with the LRU Communications Working Group.
• Organising committee member (optional)

Organising committee member (optional)
Attends organising committee meetings and takes on action points

Treasurer 
Ensures that branch members are aware of the financial situation of the branch so it can plan accordingly. See agreement on how we spend money here. Helps members to make decisions about spending and claim back money spent.

Directly elected coordianting group roles

As well as two representatives of each branch, working group and caucus, there are also a number of directly elected coordinating group roles. These roles will be elected by an online vote in early June.

3x Coordianting group members

Three members of the coordinating group are directly elected by the membership. There are two vacant positions. The role of the coordinating group is to:

• Support effective coordination between branches and working groups
• Uphold the values of the union, and ensure they are being upheld by branches, working groups and members
• Oversee the implementation of decisions of all member meetings
• Develop and oversee union strategies and policies in accordance with the values, objectives and democratic decisions of the union
• Support the development of new branches
• Ensure the sound management of the union’s financial resources
• Ensure appropriate processes are in place for the management of union staff and the protection of personal information held by the union.
• Members ofthe coordianting group serve as directors of the company

Each candidate must be nominated by at least five other members of the union and is invited to submit 200 words about why they would like the role that will be published on the website of the union.

2x Coordinating group convenors
Up to two coordinating group convenors are directly elected by the membership. The convenors are members of the coordinating group a specific focus on increasing coordinating group transparency and capacity by supporting other coordinating group  members and to ensure everyone is able to participate as fully as possible, including by:

• Talking with coordinating group members to support and encourage them to participate
• addressing any access needs among CG/potential CG members (e.g. access to laptops/video equipment, childcare, adaptations). 
• Supporting coordinating group members to understand the processes of the union
• Ensuring roles are filled within CG and that CG co-opts additional members where necessary
• act as a point of contact for CG for incoming requests to CG and forwarding them on to committee leads, working groups or branches as appropriate. 
• Work closely with relevant union staff to ensure the coordinating group is running effectively

Each candidate must be nominated by their branch or working group or at least 25 other members of the union and is invited to submit 200 words about why they would like the role that will be published on the website.

2x Staffing and finance leads
Up to two staffing and finance leads are directly elected by the membership. They have the following responsibilities: 

• Coordinate any sub-committee of the coordinating group related to staffing and finance (called the staffing and finance committee, as of December 2021). 
• Play a key role in supporting staff line managers and holding them to account, although in a more light touch way than conventional line management. Specifically:
  • Each Staffing and Finance lead would have designated responsibility for a staff line manager
  • They would offer pastoral support, liaising with HR staff as appropriate 
  • They would receive monthly top-line reports from staff line managers (aspects of which may be shared with the whole CG)
  • They would lead annual evaluation/appraisal processes with the staff they have responsibility for 
  • Have regular one to ones with their designated staff, at mutually agreeable intervals (this could be anything from monthly to quarterly).

Each candidate must be nominated by their branch or working group or at least 25 other members of the union and is invited to submit 200 words about why they would like the role that will be published on the website.

LATEST NEWS