If you have to ask what jazz is then maybe you will never know what it is? On the other hand everyone seems to know what union organising is. In fact some within our movement seem to have the belief that there is only one way to do do union organising. These true believers in their one way of organising are adamant that only by following their methods of organising can unions successfully build power for working people in the workplace.
The true believers also deride anyone who, in their opinion, does not fully understand the difference between organising and recruitment. Anyone who prioritises recruitment, at any particular time, does so only by going against the faith.
I think the difference between organising and recruitment is very clear. The more power we build in the workplace through our organisation then the more members we get. The more members we get then the more we have to do to make sure that we are organised to ensure the power of our numbers is translated into real gains in the workplace.
So how are two of my real passions, jazz and union organising linked? Well I believe they are linked because there is no one way of playing jazz as there is no one way of union organising. Jazz relies on improvisation by individuals within a structured group approach. It looks at the situation, the particular mood and environment at a moment in time before deciding on the best approach. The approach may change from day to day or from night to night but it all takes place within the discipline of e collective group approach. I remember reading somewhere that if you can't listen or work with others in the group then its impossible to play good jazz. In my humble opinion this is the same as union organising.
I know that some organising fundamentalists will throw the book at me for such herasy but I do not believe there is only one way to organise a workplace nor do I believe that we should stifle the ingenuity or creativity of union organisers to make calls on the ground about how best to win power in a workplace.
I think we should be analysing a workplace and then deciding on the tools we need to organise it by drawing on the wide range of techniques and the organising skills and people available. To me this seems a very reasonable and, indeed, effective way of organising a workplace. In all these senses union organising shares the jazz approach.
Of course the fact that I love jazz and have been listening to some of its legends all day has no influence or bearing on the contents of this post.
2 comments:
Roger.
Good post and I feel where you are coming from. Dont forget though there is also a punk way of organising!!
Ian
Love that analogy! Key words for me are intuition and adaptability. In both jazz and organising both are necessary. Good musicians have a 6th sense and are able to pick up on the thoughts and direction of fellow players and adapt according to the skills, abilities and direction of the group. This approach would also lead to success in organising. There is and never should be a 'one size fits all' method.
As a musician (including jazz at times) and a union organiser I will now consider the link more often.
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