CWU success at Trade Union Communication Awards

July 8 2016

The audacious and eye-catching projection on the side of the Houses of Parliament that marked the climax of the CWU’s spring offensive against the Trade Union Bill has won high acclaim at the TUC’s prestigious annual Communication Awards.

At last night’s prestigious awards evening at Congress House in central London, the union emerged as joint runner-up for the SAY NO TO THE TU BILL’ illumination in which an image of Croydon CWU member Liam Farnfield working up a telegraph pole was projected on to the world famous Gothic faade just under iconic Big Ben.

For nearly 10 minutes the CWU astonished tourists and homebound commuters passing by the world heritage site by poignantly shining its unmissable Stand up for the millions – not the millionaires’ message on the very seat of UK Government.

More importantly, the stunt attracted widespread media attention and huge social media interest in the union’s #CWUandPROUD campaign.

Awarding the projection a commendation in the 2016 Trade Union Communication Awards’ Best Designed Communication’ category, judges observed: “The clear design and campaigning slogan effectively tied together the online and offline campaign activity,” adding that the “light projection onto Parliament created a bold, strong campaigning image” that had “huge impact”.

Given the high security around Parliament the textbook piece of guerilla campaigning’ had required an intricately planned and extensively ‘reccied’ covert operation.

That necessitated bulky projection equipment being sneakily dropped off and set up on Westminster Bridge under the cover of partial darkness, and the speedy execution of the projection that the union always knew would solicit a swift security services response.

In the event, however, the CWU communications crack squad’ pulled off the stunt with clockwork precision – disappearing into the night just as the inevitable police presence arrived on the bridge!

Congratulating the team once again for their derring-do following last night’s accolade, CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “Thanks to a carefully devised, well-executed and daringly audacious communications department team effort, the CWU managed to give its opposition to the TU Bill a profile that was unrivalled in the trade union movement.

“Thanks as well to the TUC for recognising our union’s work and the central importance of high-quality communications.”

CWU publications editor Simon Alford collecting the award on behalf of the communications department from TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady. *photo by Andrew Wiard.