FDA member Ross Thompson received the Individual Impact Award for his work increasing membership and engagement in the Northern Ireland Section, the union’s fastest growing constituency.
Ross identifies a few main elements behind the successful expansion. The first was collaborating with FDA Learn to secure funding from the Irish Congress Trade Union’s (ICTU) Learning Fund for members and to help attract potential members:
“We also put on more events to make sure people feel that they’re getting some sort of value from their subscription. Not just that there’s the reassurance that we’re there if they need us, but also that there’s things we’re doing proactively.”
Membership growth also came from the Graduate Management Programme, specific to Northern Ireland and similar to the Fast Stream, as well as word of mouth.
Ross explains:
“We have put a lot of effort into our personal cases, and at the end of every case we’d be telling people to make sure they tell their friends and colleagues about us.”
Speaking about what receiving the award meant to him , Ross says:
“I was really touched that people that see me week in, week out on calls and in the Executive Committee meetings felt that the work I do, or the effort I put in, is worthy of recognition. I was really humbled and really pleased, proud to get it.
“It’s easy to think that Northern Ireland could get left behind because a lot of what goes on in Westminster doesn’t have much of an impact as it’s a devolved administration and there’s a strong regional element. But I really felt like [General Secretary Dave Penman] saw the work that we’ve been doing and he’s pleased, and it means something to him that we have been doing so well on membership numbers.”
Ross continues:
This week, the FDA attended the 2026 TUC Congress in Brighton. FDA delegates spoke to and moved motions on a range of topics, including the review of the civil service, supporting effective management, accountability and safe contracting in the NHS, and the importance of an evidence-led approach to regulation.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
The FDA’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has written to Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, asking him to remind MLAs that when officials appear before the Assembly, impartiality must not be brought into question.
