Campaigns

Whether it’s taking on the multinationals over out of towns shopping developments, helping charities secure more funding, or standing up for local industry and getting its voice heard at Stormont, Asitis has a superb track record in getting results.

We combine our knowledge of lobbying and advocacy with our media relations to pull together compelling campaigns that decision-makers cannot afford to ignore.

Casestudy: Northern Ireland Manufacturing Industrial Rates Campaign

Background

Prior to the re-establishment of the current Northern Ireland Power sharing Executive, the direct rule administration decided to introduce industrial rates to the manufacturing sector. This led to the establishment of the Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus group, made up of a small number of businesses from across Northern Ireland, determined to oppose the imposition of what was seen as an unfair and counter-productive stealth tax. ASITIS Consulting ran the public affairs, event management and public relations for the campaign.

Methodology

Asitis Consulting set out clear and understandable key messages for both politicians and the media that industrial rates would cost thousands of jobs, that the decision was short sighted and counter productive, and that it was based on erroneous logic.

We worked consistently and tirelessly to build the support base of the focus group in order to add strength to the campaign. By developing links with local political parties we established a ‘totem pole issue’ which all the parties could agree to support in anticipation of a return to devolution.

We used our long standing political contacts and negotiating skills to develop a politically advantageous position for each of the parties to take. This required a series of briefings, detailed engagement around complex and challenging issues and the use of local businesses to act as spokespeople for the campaign on a constituency by constituency basis. By engaging an economist, we were able to compose an economic argument to prove our theory that this policy change would result in huge job losses.

We organised a ‘day of action’ which included a Waterfront Hall rally, 2.5 mile long cavalcade of lorries through the city centre and a meeting with the Secretary of State. The Waterfront Hall was filled with 2,500 delegates from industry, the trade unions and politicians – the first time Northern Ireland’s political parties had shared a platform since 2001.

Upon restoration of devolution lobbied for and achieved three NI Assembly debates on the issue, all of which achieved all party support. We also lobbied MPs affiliated to the Trade Union Amicus at Westminster. On the ground we ran 10 NI Assembly pre - election hustings events, attended by three party leaders and hundreds of delegates and we also organised MLA visits for 75 out of the 108 MLAs to member factories. A coalition of support was built from trades unions, the CBI, IOD, Economic Institute for NI, The Ulster Farmers’ Union and Invest Northern Ireland – cementing overwhelming degree of support. We negotiating directly with the rating policy review team from within Department of Finance and Personnel and then directly with Finance Minister Peter Robinson.

Results

The campaign was credited with securing a cap on the rate at 30% of the overall value, saving the manufacturing sector over £50 million per year for the foreseeable future. Close contacts between the manufacturing sector and the political parties were established, leading to a ‘business friendly’ budget and a growing range of issues which manufacturing and the executive are now working on together. The Northern Ireland Manufacturing Focus Group culminated in a membership of over 500 businesses and remains a driving force within the industry.

This campaign was nominated as one of the three best private sector public affairs campaign of 2008 in the UK-wide Public Affairs News Awards.