1. Art and Diseño

Durham Local Government Branch
Invite to Durham UNISON
Branch AGM and Quiz Night
Thursday 26th February 2015
Durham Indoor Bowling Club, Abbey Road, Durham DH1 5GE
The Branch welcomes members to the Annual General Meeting.
A Pie and Peas supper will be available after the meeting followed by the Annual
Branch Quiz. Come along and be entered into the FREE raffle and have a chance of
winning the main Prize Draw - £250 worth of vouchers of your choice.
Quiz teams should consist of no more than 4 people.
Inside:
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Agenda
Message from the Branch Secretary
Branch Officer Reports
How to contact us
Calendar of Social Events
Licensed Bar and Refreshments / Pie and Peas
/ Free Prize Draw
DURHAM LOCAL GOVERNMENT BRANCH
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING & QUIZ NIGHT
Durham Indoor Bowling Club
Abbey Road, Durham DH1 5GE
Dear Colleague
All members of the Durham Branch of UNISON are invited to attend the Branch
Annual General Meeting. This year the Branch Annual Quiz will take place
immediately following the AGM.
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AGM start 6.00 pm until approximately 7.00 pm
Main Prize Draw and Raffle (all members attending the AGM meeting will be
entered into the prize draw and the main prize this year will be £250 of High
Street vouchers (the winner will choose the retailer)
Pie and Peas Supper
Quiz
Branch Officer and steward nominations should be received into the Branch Office 6
weeks prior to the AGM, by no later than Thursday 15th January 2015. For more
details or to request a nomination form, please contact the Branch office.
Please put this date in your diary – We look forward to seeing you there.
Please make every effort to attend the Annual General Meeting. If you will experience
problems with travel or have any further queries about the meeting please contact
the Branch Office:
Please contact the Branch Office on 03000 263300 or email
[email protected]
Your attendance at the meeting and all Quiz Teams will need to be
submitted by no later than Friday 30th January to ensure sufficient
catering is provided.
Neville Hancock
Branch Secretary
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Durham UNISON Branch
A.G.M 2015
Agenda
1. Chairperson’s Announcements
2. Deaths of Members and Retired Members (a minute’s silence will be
observed)
3. Appointment of Scrutineers
4. Minutes from AGM 2014 - minutes can be viewed online at www.durhamunison.info
5. Local Government Pay Claim 2014/16
6. County Issues
• Budget Cuts
7. Other Employers
8. Reports of the Branch Officers
9. Membership Report
10.
Notices of Motion – Must be received in writing proposed and seconded
in the Branch Office at least 2 weeks prior to the date of the AGM.
11.
Appointment of Branch Officers 2015 (For more information or a
nomination form please contact the Branch Office)
12.
Appointment of Branch Stewards 2015 (For more information or a
nomination form please contact the Branch Office)
A raffle draw and the Main Prize Draw will take place
immediately following the meeting. Please ensure you collect
your raffle ticket and Prize Draw Card on entry.
Tea and coffee will be available on arrival.
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Message from the Branch Secretary – Neville Hancock
Members in Local Government will be
acutely aware that the past few years
have been dominated by countless
restructures and redundancies due to
‘Budget Savings’ – or to give its true name
‘Savage Coalition Cuts’, but as the saying
goes “Is there light at the end of the
tunnel” or is there an express train hurtling
towards us?
Well at this moment in time it appears that
a number of express trains, one after
another are hurtling towards us. Not only
is Local Government preparing for the
forthcoming budget savings associated
with the existing coalition spending review
which comes to an end in April 2016, and
which will have a further dramatic impact
on members and the services that they
deliver in our communities, but also the
prospect of further massive cuts in public
spending which could be imposed a year
after the next General Election.
Press reports suggest that plans are being
drawn up with details which cover the
financial years 2016 -17 and 2017 – 18, of
how an extra £25bn - £30bn in public
spending could be saved.
So is there any other light at the end of
the tunnel? Well, members will be aware
that May 2015 hosts a General Election
which, with a change of Government may
ignite the embers which could flame into a
genuine and real future for members and
the services they deliver.
Day of Industrial Action - July
Pay
Whilst we must
ready ourselves for
whatever future
challenge lies ahead,
I think it only right
and proper that we
as a Branch also reflect on and celebrate
our achievements and while the pay offer
which members accepted falls below our
aspirations I believe that we must view the
offer as a success.
The revised offer came only as a result of
firstly, a magnificently supported day of
strike action and secondly a day of further
planned action which was subsequently
called off to allow a consultative ballot on
this offer.
With regards to the consultation I would
personally like to thank all stewards and
workplace contacts for their help with the
consultative ballot which resulted in the
Branch having one of the highest returns
in the Region. My thanks also go to all
stewards and activists within the Branch
who continue to work tirelessly supporting
and advising members, representing
members at sickness reviews, through
disciplinary and grievance procedures,
mediating with members and employers,
always trying to ensure satisfactory
outcomes for our members.
‘Britain needs a payrise’
March in London - October
Miner’s Gala - July
Best Wishes for Christmas and the New
Year from Durham UNISON
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Assistant Branch Secretary – Dave Glew
Another year has passed in the blink of
an eye. I think it is fair to say this job is
never boring, bringing new and
challenging experiences to my working
life on a very frequent basis.
In the past 12 months since the last AGM
we have continued to see cuts in services
and loss of staff, ultimately resulting in
loss of Unison membership to the branch.
As a branch I think we are still standing
strong and retaining a reasonably high
levels of membership although we do
have to accept, when people leave the
authority through whatever means, this
does impact upon our numbers. This is
why it is very important for us to continue
to recruit and promote our branch and
UNISON generally.
Over the past 12 months I am proud to
say we have again performed very well
for our members who for one reason or
another have encountered difficulties at
work. We pride ourselves on good
knowledgeable sound representation for
individual members as well as proactive
engagement with the employer
addressing staff concerns across service
areas.
I think it is fair to state our representation
of members is greatly appreciated by
those we are
supporting and this is
reflected through the
plethora of cards and
thank you messages
received both
personally and in the
UNISON Branch Office. We do
appreciate this acknowledgement.
We have had a particularly difficult year,
taking into account the Industrial Action
for better pay, I think it is right to thank all
who supported this action, particularly
those who gave their time to stand on the
picket lines.
We are going to have another difficult
year ahead; we will however have a great
opportunity with the forthcoming General
Election to show this Coalition
Government that we are not going to
stand by and continue to allow them to
dismantle and destroy our public
services. We need to rally and send out
the message that we have had enough No More Cuts to Public Services.
Thank you once again for all your
support.
Chairperson – Julie Wynn
My name is Julie Wynn and I have been
your Branch Chairperson since 2009. I
was previously Secretary for the former
Wear Valley Local Government Branch and
a member of UNISON since its inception
(former NALGO member). I started as a
steward in the early 1990’s and moved on
to become Branch Treasurer and Secretary
before we merged and I was elected to this
role.
In the past year we have continued to feel
the effects of the cuts by the government,
we continue to work with employers to
minimise compulsory redundancies and to
continue to protect terms and conditions.
Also we worked tirelessly to try and
improve the pay offer by
the local government
employer including one
day of industrial action.
The branch worked hard
to get stewards and
members on picket lines
in an attempt to get the
employers back round the
table and this, along with other branches,
eventually paid off with an improved pay
offer being made by the employers. We
continue to represent our members on a
daily basis with sickness, grievance and
disciplinary matters. I have also been
involved in working with some local Town
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Councils who are also beginning to feel the
effects of the cuts and are trying to prepare
for the future by making their structures fit
for purpose and implementing single status
where appropriate. I have also been
working with members on applications for
re-evaluations within Durham County
Council as the time limit for re-applying
came to an end.
My general Chair’s role also includes;
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Ensuring that business is properly
conducted.
I also advise the branch officers and branch
committee in respect of matters relating to
procedure and interpretation of rules.
Our fight continues, but be assured that we
will continue to work on your behalf to
protect your terms and conditions, to resist
compulsory redundancies and to ensure
that your employer acts fairly, reasonably
and equitably in all of its proposals.
Presiding at all meetings of the
branch committee
Health and Safety Officer – Ian Pritchard
UNISON believes health and safety in the
workplace is an issue for everyone. Every
year, thousands of people suffer
accidents and ill-health at work - most of
which could be avoided.
The network of Representatives deal with
a variety of issues, some of which are
shown below.
Accidents - No workplace is entirely risk
free, but it is every employer's
responsibility to make sure that the
potential for accidents at work is
eliminated or minimised. You have the
right to work in a safe environment,
without unnecessary risk from accidents.
Computers - Many jobs involve working
with computers for long periods of time. It
is important that you sit in a way that
does not cause back problems and take
regular screen breaks to prevent eye
strain.
Hazard Reporting - Reporting hazards in
the workplace is important to keep
everyone safe from harm. You can help
by reporting any potential dangers.
Manual Handling - You should not be
asked to engage in lifting and carrying
heavy or large loads without proper
training. Your UNISON representative
can help you if you feel forced to perform
manual handling tasks, or if you have
been involved in a manual handling
accident at work.
Risk Assessment - A
risk assessment is the
process of identifying
what hazards exist, or
may appear in the
workplace. This includes
judging which hazards
are likely to cause harm to employees
and other visitors.
Working Conditions - Working
conditions covers areas such as space,
temperature, lighting, ventilation, humidity
and welfare facilities, including access to
drinking water. The best way to improve
your working conditions is to be aware of
the law and the minimum standards that
your employer should meet.
WRULDs and RSI - Work-related upper
limb disorders (WRULDs) is a collective
term for a range of disorders of the hand,
wrist, arm, shoulder and neck. It covers
conditions with specific medical
diagnoses (e.g. carpal tunnel) and other
conditions often called repetitive strain
injuries (RSI). WRULDs/RSIs may be
caused by the tasks you perform at work
but can usually be prevented with a good
work environment, adequate training and
by varying working positions and tasks.
If you feel that any Health and Safety
issue within your workplace has not been
addressed, do not hesitate to contact us.
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Labour Link Officer – Andrew Varty
During the past year I have been happy to
fulfil my role as a Branch Officer. Attending
meetings, engaging in discussions and
debates and voting on the wide range of
issues, problems and opportunities
presented to the branch.
Politically the European elections have
come and gone with Labour picking up two
of the three seats locally and gaining seven
extra seats nationally. This year sees the
General Election and now more than ever it
is vital to return a government who are
pledged to support Local Government. The
Labour Party is the only mainstream party
willing to reduce the level of cuts and fund
the reduction of the deficit by taking money
from rich individuals and corporations who
routinely avoid their tax obligations.
The best way to make sure Labour win this
election and introduce policies which
benefit us as Local
Government employees is to
join the party and become
active in both the election
campaign and putting
pressure on Councillors and
MP’s during the term. While
no political party is perfect,
we helped to create and fund the Labour
Party and it is more than fair and
reasonable to expect our interest to be an
important part of their policies. The more
involvement and influence we can build at
grass roots level the more weight will be
carried at a national level.
If you want to join the Labour Party just go
online at https://join.labour.org.uk/ or
contact your branch or constituency and
you will be made more than welcome.
Women’s Officer – Chris Varty
It has been a pleasure to be the
representative of all our female members
for the past year. During which I have
organised group meetings, attended the
Women’s Conference and put forward the
issues affecting women in the work place
on both a branch and regional level.
Women make up a substantial majority of
the members of Durham Branch and still
remain some of the lowest paid and
undervalued employees. While we have
made great strides in recent years to
redress the gender imbalance there is
more work to be done on individual and
group levels to make sure that women in
the work place are treated as equals to
men in both pay and opportunity.
When this government cuts the public
services and privatises industries, like the
Post Office, it’s often women who bear
the brunt. Hours are
cut, jobs discarded and
women put at the
forefront of
redundancies as what
are seen a part time
‘pocket money’ jobs
are targeted first. Part time jobs are a
necessity for many women and vital to
family finances and self-respect. I don’t
think it is an exaggeration to claim that
this government and other right wing
parties are inherently anti-women and I
would urge all members to consider this
in the forthcoming election.
It would an honour and a privilege to
continue to represent women (and men)
as an officer of this branch and an active
steward.
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Equalities Officer – Pat Massingham
“The TUC campaigns against
discrimination at work and in wider
society. Unions have always been at the
forefront of the drive for equality at work,
whether through the struggle for equal
pay, through tackling racism or working
for equal access to learning and skills”.
UNISON aims to enhance and will
continue to encompass this vision within
all of its consultations and negotiations
and within the wide networks in which it is
involved. It not only seeks to provide
equality in the workplace but also in its
representations for equality throughout
the world. For example, The Equality and
Human Rights Commission (EHRC),
called on local authorities to improve
support for women who experience
violence. They carried out an inquiry into
sex discrimination in financial services,
designed to help close that sector’s
gaping gender pay gap. “Continuing to
fight for equality for women is at the heart
of the Commission’s plans for the future.
Yet the solutions do not lie solely in the
Commission’s hands. An extraordinary
range of other people – including
courageous individuals, lobby groups,
representative organisations and support
networks – also stand up for women’s
rights”.
We all must ensure there is equal
opportunity in training, education and
employment. Our own awareness and
support to campaign and lobby for these
rights is one of the most important ways
to enforce legislation and continue to fight
for: equality for everyone, with no
exclusions. However equality is not an
exclusive word relating to women’s’ rights
it falls into several categories as many of
you will know.
Throughout my role as Equality Officer, it
has been necessary to equate equality
within possible redundancy situations,
health & safety concerns, stress
management issues etc. The branch, its
representatives and members can
contact me at any time to discuss equality
issues or seek advice. It is important that
we work together and I would encourage
anyone into becoming a union
representative to help promote equality,
fight for fairer workplaces and to support
your fellow members. I hope to continue
in this role for the foreseeable future and
will remain committed to UNISONS
principles and to the membership.
Branch Treasurer – Kelly Philpott
As treasurer my main areas of responsibility include:
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Keeping accounts in accordance with Branch Rules;
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Preparing budgets for defined areas of activities;
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Provide reports on the financial position of the branch to the branch
committee;
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Providing a detailed financial report for the Annual Branch
meeting(s);
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Advising the branch officers and branch committee on matters relating to financial
management and appropriate expenditure;
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Providing an audited annual return of the branch income.
I set a budget every year based upon the previous year’s expenditure and the projected
income from UNSON HQ. It is my responsibility to ensure we keep all figures as close as
possible to the budget set. Reports are presented regularly to branch committee detailing
income and expenditure to date.
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We currently have four branch employed staff who are paid via the County Council payroll
system. After paying for administration, the next largest portion of the branch’s expenditure
is on expenses for meetings: travel expenses for branch officers and stewards going out
visiting members etc.; conferences and branch committee meetings.
Education Officer – Vacant Post
Viv Shingleton retired in August of this year following many years as a
UNISON activist. Viv attended her last Branch Committee meeting in
September where she was presented with a gift voucher as a token of
appreciation for her outstanding commitment to Durham UNISON. The
Branch would like to wish her a very long, healthy and happy retirement.
Should any member wish to stand as the Branch Education Officer,
please contact the Branch Office on 03000 263300.
Lifelong Learning Officer – Caron English
As Lifelong Learning Officer I am responsible for:
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co-ordinating the activity of UNISON Learning Representatives
(ULRs)
negotiating around learning with employers
developing opportunities, which the learning agenda provides, to
interest members in the work of UNISON.
I love the variety of my role as Lifelong Learning Officer – supporting staff to learn,
promoting Basic Skills and digital inclusion. The role gives me an extra dimension to my
day-to-day role as an IT Trainer, and vice versa!
Over the last year I’ve ...
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Arranged and delivered several Basic IT taster sessions for Learning at Work week.
Attended an Emotional Intelligence workshop (this is the pattern of how people's
biases in their thinking leads them to think one thing or choice is better than
another, as well as their clarity in differentiating within those biases to exercise
clear and sound judgment).
Visited libraries during Get Online Week to encourage people to use the Internet
along with the Digital Durham Team
Attended the Education, Learning and Skills Forum which focussed on Traineeships
/ Apprenticeships, Supporting Work Experience Placements, workshops on Mental
Health Awareness and Student Loans.
Young Member’s Officer – Vacant Post
The Young Member’s Officer will be under
the age of 27. The appointed officer will
become involved with both Regional and
Local Young Member’s groups, liaising with
the Branch on issues affecting young
people whilst encouraging other young
people to become active within the union.
The Young Member’s Officer attends
monthly Branch Committee meetings and
the AGM providing written reports.
For more information on standing as the
Young Member’s Officer, please contact
the Branch Office on 03000 263300.
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Publicity Officer – Stephen Burton
Hi there. When I published my report last
year I made reference to the way that the
role had changed and it now operates in
more of a job share with the
Communications Officer. Clearly this
means that there is less capacity to
generate the amount of materials that have
been published in previous years.
But what a year we’ve had – strike ballots,
pay campaigns, pensions changes,
employee transfers, a growth in academy
schools, further budget cuts etc. etc. It feels
like the need for sharing information with
members went up enormously during 2014
so my aim is to continually meet those
demands and provide good quality, timely
information. With the help of Branch
Employed Staff and Branch Secretariat we
aimed to circulate a monthly Branch
Bulletin to share the issues discussed
during Branch Committee meetings
together with emerging stories that could
affect us all. The trick was then to strike the
right balance of providing you with
information that we felt was of relevance to
the majority of members and not to simply
bombard you with loads of waffle. I hope
that this approach proved to be informative
and helpful.
The Bulletin also helps the Branch to keep
members aware of the huge amount of
work that reps and full-time
officers are involved in. As
paying members you need
to know that your monthly
subscriptions are being
used effectively and
sustaining membership
levels is a key priority for the
Branch in these difficult times. This is
where the “other side” of UNISON can be
so beneficial to members who may not
need to access a steward with a workplace
issue but are interested in money saving
schemes. UNISON Plus offers a range of
services from carefully selected partners to
save members money in anything from
buying a new car to having a free eye test
carried out. The ever increasing range of
products and schemes is available to
browse on the Branch and National
Website.
I attend Branch Committee to inform
Branch Officers of ongoing work and to
report on outcomes from the
Communications Sub-Committee meetings.
I have attended regional training courses in
connection with this post to try and
continually improve upon the way in which I
fulfil this vitally important role and I look
forward, with your support, to the next 12
months as Branch Publicity Officer.
Membership Services Officer – Michelle Harrison
2014 has been another busy year with
participation in the events that we have
offered being greater than previous years.
The Quiz at the Gala was very well
attended and due to the absence of Joe’s
All Stars, we had a new winning team Joe’s
in Blackpool. However there was very
strong competition from teams from
Archives. Many thanks to everyone who
took part!
The Christmas Shopping Trip was again
oversubscribed due to its popularity and the
Pantomime tickets have all been sold. Oh
no they haven’t, oh yes they have…!
The Athletics club continues as does
Badminton, new members are always
welcome! The other events are increasing
in popularity but please let us know if there
is anything that you would like to see on
our calendar of events.
My thanks go to the Branch Employed Staff
for their invaluable support in getting the
events off the ground.
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Membership Services Calendar for 2015
Please note all dates will be confirmed early in the New Year
26 February 2015
AGM / Quiz Night – Durham Indoor Bowling Club
March/April 2015
Easter Egg Hunt/Craft Fun – County Hall and surrounding grounds.
May/June 2015
An evening at the Races
July/August 2015
Flamingoland – date to be confirmed (during 6 weeks school
holidays).
September 2015
Dave Bainbridge Memorial Cricket Match
(beginning of September)
November / December 2015
Annual Christmas Shopping Trip – Leeds.
December 2015
Panto Time at the Gala Theatre
Our Coach Trip to Flamingoland - July
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Retired Members Officer – Pauline Prest
We are once again pleased to report that
our retired membership continues to grow
and we have an active Durham Branch.
We continue to hold regular meetings on
alternative months; these are held at
either County Hall Durham or Council
Offices at Spennymoor. At our meetings
we have a variety of speakers to
hopefully make this an enjoyable and
interesting event for everyone, as well as
sharing information about UNISON
activity both in our own Branch and
Nationally.
This year we have had a talk by our own
County Archivist who also brought
photographs and interesting facts in
regard to people in the area who had
served in the First World War. Chris Lloyd
from the Northern Echo gave us a most
interesting talk on the story of Cockfield
Fell (The fell is England’s largest ancient
monument and just about the whole
history of our region can be found on its
pockmarked surface). Also we enjoyed a
video and talk from the Great North Air
Ambulance Service, saving lives in our
region and a service we could not do
without. We have been able to support
the GNAAS and St
Teresa’s Hospice with
donations given to our
guest speakers.
Social Outings are also
a very important event
to many of us. This
year we started with a trip to Skipton,
then an adventure to Whitby, enjoying the
delights of the Grosemont to Pickering
Railway. In June we had a wonderful day
calling at Keswick and continuing our
journey to the Lakes. August we had a
day exploring the delights of Holy Island
and Seahouses. We also enjoy our
annual Christmas shopping trip to York
and then at the end of the year we
celebrate together with a festive meal.
New members are always welcome, you
can engage in all that we offer or maybe
join us on our outings. What is important
is enjoying your retirement, making
friendships, sharing stories and life
experiences. At the same time we
continue to support our working
colleagues. Retirement is the start of a
new chapter in our lives and we in this
Branch know how to enjoy it.
Black Members Officer – Lilian Adani
My name is Lilian Adani, and I am a black
UNISON member in the north east of
England.
I work for the social services department
at Durham County Council as a social
worker.
I am a single mum with four children.
When I joined the union I decided that I
would like to become involved in trying to
raise the profile of black members.
Like all members, my family faces
problems making ends meet relating to
inflation running ahead of wages, to the
extent that hard choices need to be made
between non-luxuries like heating, food
and clothes.
I believe a strong
union is the only way
the ordinary people
can influence their
pay and working
conditions.
Black members also
face particular
problems. I myself
have faced issues growing from
perceptions of black people, both in the
workplace and out in the community.
It is very reassuring to know that the
union takes such issues seriously and in
prepared to offer meaningful support to
their black brothers and sisters.
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It is important that black members are
fairly represented within the councils of
the union.
I was lucky enough to join a black
members delegation from the north east
that attended the annual conference in
Brighton, where we got to meet with
leading members of the union, and also
black members from all over the country.
It was encouraging to see that black
members do having a growing voice, but
there is still much work to be done.
Welfare Officer – Michelle McKenna
Over the last year as your welfare officer I have liaised with numerous
members in a welfare capacity.
Some members do not require any guidance towards financial support but
need signposting to other services that are available to them.
I continue to send bouquets/baskets of fruit to members who are off on long
term sick or for those experiencing serious issues in their family, these
referrals are totally dependent on you as a member notifying the branch office
of someone who you think fits the criteria.
I have continued to gain financial support in the form of welfare grants for our members and
also wellbeing breaks. Due to confidentiality I cannot give you a breakdown of these awards.
he branch continues to support the Welfare Octopus Lottery which helps to raise funds
Nationally and Locally.
The School Uniform Grants that were recently made available to members who did match a
specific eligibility have proved to be popular.
Watch out for the winter fuel grants available in the new year!
UNISON Welfare Debtline and online Debtclinic
At UNISON Welfare we are used to helping members who are struggling to cope with the
stress and worry of debt. Through our partners at Payplan we can provide you with free and
confidential advice to help clear your debts.
Payplan's debt management plan is paid for by the credit industry so every penny of your
repayments goes towards your debts unlike some debt management companies who charge a
fee.
Payplan's advisers are aware of the types of grant that UNISON Welfare can offer and will
refer you to us if they think we can help to ease your situation.
Contact details
Telephone UNISON Welfare Debtline Freephone 0800 389 3302 8am to 9pm Monday to
Friday 9am to 3pm Saturdays.
UNISON Welfare Debtclinic, the online version of our debt advice service, contains advice and
debt information and outlines some of the main debt problems. There are also diagnostic tools
to help you set up the best recovery plan for your particular problem. Like UNISON Welfare
Debtline the service is completely free to UNISON members:
http://unison.payplan.com/
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Durham Branch Office
The Branch office is open Monday to Friday from 8.30 am until 4.30 pm. The clerical staff are all
dedicated to helping members access the help and representation they need.
Julie Barton
03000 263300
Julia Fletcher
03000 263301
Jane Presho
03000 263302
Kirsty Mason
03000 263303
The Durham Branch currently has around 7600 working members and approximately 1200 retired
members, currently 77 stewards provide service to those members. Primarily organised around
the boundary of the main employer, Durham County Council, we cover all departments and
grades. The range of branch membership also extends to other public sector employers within
County Durham including Durham & Darlington Fire Authority and support staff in Further
Education and 6th Form Colleges. We also represent many more members within the Private
Sector depending upon the nature of their employment as well as some voluntary sector
organisations.
Retired Membership is available at a cost of £15 (one off payment) to those members who are
retired and in receipt of a pension and have been a UNISON member for 2 years prior to retiring.
The retired members within the Durham Branch are very active, holding bi monthly meetings and
organising regular outings. For more information please contact the Branch Office.
Unemployed Membership is available to those members who inform the Branch of their
unemployed status within 6 months of being made redundant at a cost of £4 per year for a
maximum of 2 years.
Types of Workplace Representative:
UNISON has four types of workplace representative, so if you are interested in becoming more
involved within the branch, there's bound to be one that suits you. Full training is available for new
stewards, H&S reps and Union Learning Representatives. Please contact the Branch Office for
more information on the following:
•
Becoming a Health and Safety Representative
•
Becoming a Steward
•
Becoming a UNION Learning Representative
•
Becoming a Workplace Contact
Ideally we would like to recruit a workplace contact in every workplace. The main role of the
contact is to pass on emails and relevant information to other UNISON members in the workplace.
KNOW YOUR CONTACT they will receive regular updates on what is happening in your branch.
If you are unsure who your contact is please give us a call.
It is also extremely important that the information we have on our membership
database is accurate and up to date, especially for the purpose of distributing
information or for any future ballots, please contact the office by telephone or
email [email protected] to inform us of a change of home address,
workplace address or employment details.
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