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FDA On
FDA On aims to connect reps and activists across the union.
FDA On is the union’s organising network
FDA On aims to connect reps and activists across the union. By joining the network you will have the opportunity to play an integral role in the future of the union.
- Take a leading role in your union – learn new skills, gain knowledge, take on a high-profile role in your workplace and ultimately make a difference to members’ working lives. Find out more.
- Organise and recruit – below you will find tools, resources and materials to help you recruit new members and activists. Speak to our organising team about ordering tailored merchandise for your branch;
- Share ideas – putting you in touch with other reps and activists f ram other branches and sections to share ideas and spread best practice;
- Access training – new courses and briefings for FDA reps and activists on negotiation, organising in modern workplace and plus member and non-member communication;
- Meet other activists – network with union colleagues through regular forums and events;
- Get more involved in something that matters to you – find out how you can support the work of the union on topics and issues that are important to you or your branch. Find out more.
“I am really excited about FDA On and the opportunities it brings to grow our union. All unions constantly seek to turn non-members into members and turn members into activists – this network aims to do just that. FDA On is a two-way channel which will allow us to talk directly to our reps and activists and support them with the resources and ideas they need. We want to bring all the issues that matter to our members under one network, to improve collaboration and affect real change.”
Deri Bevan – Head of Organising and Learning
Organising wins
Our reps and activists have already achieved so much. FDA On allows members to share the lessons from these successes – helping us to achieve even more.
Recent wins include:
- Our historic win on Fast Stream pay, which saw Fast Streamers receive a salary increases of as much as 22.5%. Read more;
- At the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, a handful of dedicated reps have built an influential and thriving branch and have grown membership by over 350%. Read more;
- FDA Procurator Fiscal Section (PFS), named winners of the Impact Award at Annual Delegate Conference 2023, secured a pay deal for prosecutors in Scotland worth up to an extraordinary 56%. Read more.
Group Impact Award
The winner of the 2025 Group Impact Award was the FDA reps and activists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), for building a hugely influential and rapidly growing membership from a very low base, providing strong leadership – empowering them to support members through difficult times and led successful pay negotiations .
Autumn Roadshow
FDA On undertook an Autumn Roadshow in 2024 – hosting open days and promotional stalls to be held in different departments across the UK. We held events at 12 locations including DWP and DHSC sites in Sheffield, Blackpool and Leeds, HMRC in Portsmouth, Ministry of Justice in London, and we also supported events in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The events significantly improved our visibility in these locations and in many cases led to noticeable spikes in new joiners. We met with hundreds of existing and prospective members and crucially met and recruited new activists at every location.
This year we will be out and about again. We will be visiting workplaces and hosting recruitment events all over the UK throughout October and November and we will post the dates on the FDA On webpage as they are confirmed.
We also really want our reps and activists to host their own events. We will provide you with all the resources and merchandise you need to run an event in your workplace. To find out more contact organiser@fda.org.uk.
Individual Impact Awards
Naa Acquah and Chloé François-Oatway from the Department of Health and Social Care were awarded this year’s Individual Impact Awards at the FDA Annual Delegate Conference in recognition of their work to increase the visibility of the union during a time of organisational change.
Fast Stream Basecamp
Basecamp is the in-person induction event for all Fast Streamers. Last year, the FDA Fast Stream committee attended Basecamp and hosted a “meet the union” masterclass and a stall to meet our members.
From these events, we recruited over 200 new members and have seen increasing numbers of Fast Streamers participating in wider FDA activities as part of their corporate objective as casework reps, PSDMS mentors, committee members or organisers. We are so excited to attend basecamp again this year on September 1st and October 3rd.
Recruitment materials for activists
Planning an event or recruitment drive in your workplace?
Download or print the below materials, or contact Organiser@fda.org.uk to order merchandise specific to your branch or section, as well as other resources such as induction slides and mapping tools.
TUC organising guide
Organising at Work is a TUC guide for trade union activists on how to build and maintain strong workplace unions.
Join the network
Sign up to the mailing list and join FDA On now