Hot
Topic Archive
March
2008
A
Union for Volunteers?
By OzVPM
Director Andy Fryar
Over
the past month, the Centre
for Civil Society has launched an appeal through
its regular newsletter to create a union for volunteers
here in Australia. This is certainly not anything
new and an old chestnut which has been raised before.
According
to the article, a volunteer’s union is required because
there is “ no national association or union of volunteers
in Australia. There are plenty of funded councils
on volunteering, but these represent organisations
who use volunteers, not volunteers themselves.”
Let
me begin by telling you why I think a national union
of volunteers is not necessary.
Firstly
there is a key inaccuracy in the above statement.
It clearly suggests that ‘councils on volunteering’,
which I assume refers to organisations like Volunteering
Australia, state peak bodies and regional volunteer
centres are only interested in representing the interests
of volunteer involving organisations – and not volunteers
themselves. Having been involved on volunteer centre
Boards at all three levels over the years, I can assure
you that the interests of volunteers are always paramount
in the mission of those organisations acting as our
peak and representative bodies.
The
second reason I have difficulty with this concept
is that it assumes volunteers are powerless - in fact
quite the opposite is true. Volunteers are already
a union movement by the very nature of the free choice
they have. They vote with their feet everyday, and
there are many glaring examples of traditional organisations
struggling to attract new volunteer members because
they have failed to properly advocate on behalf of
their members (volunteers).
Thirdly,
as with paid workers, I fail to understand how one
body could ever be truly representative of all sectors
representing volunteers. Some emergency service volunteer
groups already have Associations who advocate on behalf
of their volunteer members, and they do this well
because the issues are very specific to the field
of volunteering which they work in (volunteer fire
fighting for example). How could one representative
union group ever advocate on behalf of volunteers
working in areas as diverse as hospices, the environment,
disaster relief, education or a pet shelter? Like
paid workers, the issues that confront volunteers
are as different as chalk is from cheese.
Finally,
if we truly understand the concept of sound volunteer
management practices, volunteers who work in well
supported volunteer involving organisations should
already have a union representative looking after
their interests! That person is commonly known as
the Volunteer Coordinator or Volunteer Program Manager
(VPM)! I say this because inherent in every volunteer
management role should be the underlying function
for a VPM to be the organisational representative
who looks after the interests of it’s volunteer workforce
– who ensures that injustices are not committed and
that fair and reasonable ‘work’ conditions are applied
to the work of volunteers.
So
have we gone wrong?
Now
while I may have outlined why, in an ideal world,
such a volunteer’s union is unnecessary, the very
fact that the call for such a group raises its head
every few years does lead one to ask just where we
may have gone wrong, or at the very least, what could
we be doing better?
Canadian
volunteerism commentator Linda Graff has for a number
of years now been raising the issue of what she refers
to as the ‘genetic engineering’ of the volunteer movement.
Amongst other things, Linda argues that the established
volunteer movement has over the years been sidetracked
away from its core values - in pursuit of the funds
required to keep its head above water.
Is
there an argument to be answered that volunteer centres
have lost sight of the need to advocate for volunteer
issues? Is this increased when they are often in a
position where to do so they may be ‘butting heads’
with the very government departments that fund them?
Or have volunteer centres / peak bodies become such
a slave to funding / service requirements that the
core and rudimentary elements of advocating for the
rights of volunteers has become merely a secondary
issue?
These
are certainly all good questions to debate and ponder.
The
other issue I believe bears raising is the one I make
above relating to the role of volunteer program managers
in agencies that utilise volunteer support. Both VPMs
and volunteer involving agencies need to take time
to properly assess and understand the volunteer management
role.
In
far too many agencies, the Manager of Volunteers’
role is best understood (by management) simply as
being someone who is able to ‘herd’ the volunteers
together, keep them happy and have them jump through
the hoops an agency requires of them! Instead, the
VPM should be understood to be the volunteer management
‘expert’ in any agency, and be released accordingly
to do everything they can to make volunteering experiences
positive and rewarding ones for volunteers. The power
in truly understanding this is that organisational
management must be willing to hear what is wrong in
their agencies and to make required changes accordingly.
Effective
utilisation of volunteers lies in properly understanding
that a volunteer workforce that is well equipped,
have a voice and an investment in an agency’s mission
will be the workforce who are most productive and
loyal.
There
is an opportunity here for a timely reminder of this
fact. After all, if the VPM in your agency is not
the person advocating for the rights of your volunteers
– who will?
So
do we need a union of volunteers? Absolutely not!
What
we do need however is a timely reminder of some key
and fundamental principles of what we are all about.
So
let’s hear your thoughts:
• Do
you think a union of volunteers is necessary? Why
/ Why Not?
• Do
you agree with the points raised above?
• Disagree?
• What
other thoughts would you like to add to this debate?
Let’s
hear your thoughts!
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