Hazel Nolan was appointed head of division for the Services and Enterprises division, following a recent recruitment process. Hazel’s career in the trade union movement has been forged in disputes, organising drives, and long campaigns that tested both strategy and stamina. 

Before moving home to Ireland, she spent more than a decade in Glasgow, embedded in the trade union movement during some bruising fights: shipyard closures, a British Gas dispute over “fire and rehire,” and a landmark equal pay battle with Glasgow City Council. 

"I get a huge grá from working with people and helping them to empower both themselves and each other. In the union movement you actually see the tangible difference you can make in the lives of workers. For example, after the Glasgow Equal Pay dispute - which put over half a billion pounds in back pay into the pockets of the city’s lowest paid workers - I had women writing in to say how they now had the financial freedom to leave situations where they'd been subjected to domestic abuse. What we do matters, and when we get things right, we change lives." 

Over the past two years, Hazel has been immersed in Fórsa’s Strategic Change team helping embed an organising model designed to strengthen the union. Her focus was the implementation of Organising For Power and Fórsa’s national “A Better Deal” campaign - an on-going effort that aims to build members’ participation in upcoming national public sector pay talks.  

For Hazel a union is far more than the buildings and titles often referred to. Her definition of a union cuts to the heart of the movement’s spirit. 

"A union is the bond that exists between workers in their workplace. That is where we get our power. Unions are strongest when workers feel they're part of a community - when union membership is underpinned by a sense of purpose and belonging.” 

Services and Enterprises is the most diverse division within Fórsa. It spans traditional semi-states, cultural and state institutions as well as commercial enterprises. There’s a lot of diversity and that brings different work patterns, different pressure points and different employer tactics. For Hazel the aim across every workplace is to build a high density, high participation union.  

The numbers underline that the approach is working. Membership in the division has risen sharply - up by 33%, with over 50 new pay deals and recognition agreements secured across sectors over recent months. Hazel is quick to attribute that growth to those who built it. 

"Huge credit must go to outgoing head of division Katie Morgan, members, reps, officers and officials who have built this up. As we grow, so too will our challenges. There's a quip in organising that the job of an organiser is to make themselves redundant, but I don't see that happening. Most workers I talk to, regardless of where they work, say they feel they're working longer and harder but have less to show for it.” 

Beyond the workplace, Hazel is explicit that unions must confront the wider social questions that are dogging members lives in areas like housing, healthcare, cost of living. 

"I believe in whole worker organising, and that we should have a seat at the table beyond just pay negotiations. Right now, we have a housing crisis in this country. The trade union movement is the largest civil society group in this country, we should have a voice at the table on wider societal issues. The first step is putting the demand on the table. " 

For workers who feel isolated, perhaps in hostile environments, Hazel’s message is direct. 

"Ultimately if unionising wasn't so effective, many employers wouldn't be so hostile. The first step is to get in touch with Fórsa, so we can listen to you and your concerns. I've walked in to so many workplaces where workers have told me they're unhappy but that no one else seems willing to do anything about it...the irony is lots of people in the same workplace will say the same thing.” 

“Fear and apathy are the dividing tools used to suppress union organising efforts, and you don't have to put up with it. The first step is always to listen and then to start connecting people." 

Join a union that wins. Join Fórsa.