I would like to take this opportunity to give feedback on the status of our improved communication platforms and services with our members and the decision taken about the creation of an app.
As you know our newly appointed Media and Liaison Officer, Sonja Carstens, created a Facebook page (United National Transport Union) and a Twitter page (@ HeadofficeUntu), since her appointment this month. Both pages are growing steadily.
With the tragic death of Mr. Pieter Botha at the Netreg-station UNTU had a phenomenal engagement of 62 000 views on our Facebook page. This achievement was reached due to the cooperation between Sonja and Brian Davids of the Executive Council where he continues to feed her with the latest developments such as funeral arrangements, arrests and promises made by Prasa throughout the week.
I would like to encourage each of you to follow in Comrade Davids footsteps by providing Sonja with frequent updates on developments and “news” on your side, whether or not it is actual topics that needs to be addressed by myself in Press Releases and/or “good news” stories about the work and achievements of our members and their families.
Sonja will use your updates provided to her on WhatsApp at 082 463 6806 or e-mail at sonja@untu.co.za to decide on which platform it would suit best (either Facebook, Twitter, the UNTU-website or in our quarterly Labour Report. Please feel free to contact her directly with any ideas to enhance communication with our members and ultimately recruiting more members to achieve our goal to make UNTU the Union of choice throughout the Transport Sector due to the excellent services and benefits we provide.
Please encourage our members to follow UNTU on Twitter and to like our Facebook page.
The Executive Council today approved recommendations made by Sonja to improve and update UNTU’s Webpage e.g. home page, updating the history of the union, marketing our benefits more and including our various application forms for membership, maternity benefits ext.
The Executive Council also approved Sonja’s recommendations to improve the content, quality of pictures and the layout of the Labour Report. With our added communication on social media UNTU will use the Labour Report to provide you with in depth analyses of issues in the industry, information on judgements and pending court cases which may affect our members, the marketing of our benefits by reporting on what it actually meant to beneficiaries and stories on the special things happening in our lives which we don’t know of now.
This can only be done by using better quality photos in our Labour Report. Remember that a photo needs to be 1 MB or more for it to print properly in the Labour Report. All photos must be in focus, take notice of the background so that it is not too busy and always have the sun behind you when taking a photo.
With all this changes that needs to be implemented as soon as possible the Executive Council decided to put the App on hold for now. We need to properly develop, growth and utilise these platforms that we have, before we can expand to more platforms.
UNTU will continue to send you frequent newsletters via email. Also please encourage members to make use of your new e-mail address, enquiries@untu.co.za, for any enquiries and complaints about the Union.
UNTU Greetings.
STEVE HARRIS
GENERAL SECRETARY
