In a world dominated by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram, it can be too easy to dismiss the importance of a good old fashioned FBU noticeboard, says FBU national officer Tam McFarlane
This point was brought home to me by Dave Gillian, FBU Chair in West Yorkshire, when he asked the union to launch a competition with the aim of finding the best FBU noticeboard in the country.
Dave’s aim is to motivate our reps and members to understand why FBU noticeboards in workplaces are important and, of course, he’s right.
An FBU noticeboard is often the first indication for a new arrival to a fire station or control room that indicates it is an FBU organised workplace. It is an effective way of communicating with members and also sends a clear message to managers that the FBU has a presence in the station.
Of course, we need to make sure that all our noticeboards are up to date and reflect positively on the FBU. To encourage this, we thought Dave’s idea of an annual competition is a great idea!
We want to see photos of the most eye catching, stylish and, above all, organised FBU noticeboards from across the UK. A winner will be picked and awarded the title of ‘FBU Noticeboard of the year 2019’. As well as a special prize, your noticeboard will be featured in the October/November edition of Firefighter magazine.
The competition will run from today, 27 August, and will close on 20 September. To enter, you should submit photos of your noticeboard on twitter using @fbunational and #FBUnoticeboard or email [email protected].
PS – Don’t have a notice board in your workplace? Then get one! All Fire Service employers should abide by the “ACAS Code of Practice on Time Off for Trade Union Duties and Activities” - Where resources permit the facilities should include:
- accommodation for meetings which could include provision for Union Learning Representatives and a union member(s) to meet to discuss relevant training matters
- access to a telephone and other communication media used or permitted in the workplace such as email, intranet and internet
- the use of noticeboards
