Join UNISON

Join UNISON and get essential cover wherever you work


Membership of UNISON gives you access to a huge range of benefits designed to help and protect you and to help you with a healthy work/life balance.  Anyone employed in providing public services can join UNISON.  Membership starts from just £1.30 a month and you will receive:

·         advice, support and help at work;
·         legal help for you at work and your family at home;
·         financial assistance/debt advice in times of need;
·         compensation for accidents and injuries at work;
·         UNISON Learning;  and
·         exclusive member discounts to save you money.

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Legal Services


All UNISON members are entitled to free legal advice and assistance with work-related issues (terms and conditions apply).  We also look after our members and their families outside of the workplace.  UNISON Solicitors can also help with injuries and accidents both at work and outside of work, criminal injuries compensation claims, criminal matters, Wills, Conveyancing, Clinical negligence.  If you would like legal advice on any non work issue including immigration issues, you can request 30 minutes legal advice.



Guidance for members on representation


Some problems have recently arisen in connection with members’ understanding of union representation.  The Branch therefore thought some clarification would be useful.

UNISON will seek to provide members with the best possible advice and assistance.  In most cases our trained Staff Side representatives will be able to help you.  Should they require advice regarding your case or have to refer your case to a more experienced steward they will do so. 

UNISON will determine who the most appropriate steward to assist you is.

If you seek advice from a third party UNISON reserves the right to withdraw assistance.

UNISON will take action on your behalf through agreement with you at all times.

Your representative will keep you informed and will make no decisions regarding your case without consulting you.  You are free not to take any advice offered to you by UNISON in which case continuing support will be withdrawn.  However, you may complain or ‘appeal’ this decision by writing to your Branch Secretary in the first instance.

UNISON representatives and members are expected to treat each other with respect and integrity.  Failure to do so by your steward entitles you to complain to your Branch Secretary.  Failure to do so by you may result in the withdrawal of UNISON support.

In order to receive ongoing support you must remain a member of UNISON.

If you join UNISON concerning a pre-existing issue we may give general advice over the telephone but you may not be entitled to full representation.  Certain membership benefits are subject to a waiting period before you can take advantage of them.  Although we will deal with new members' problems immediately, providing you with advice and support through the local network of stewards and contacts, if the problem is particularly complex, requires legal advice or support, or if it becomes necessary to take a case to an employment tribunal, then you must have been a member for at least FOURT weeks under UNISON's national rules.  So remember, joining and staying in UNISON gives you the full protection of all UNISON's services.

UNISON is proud of our record of achievements on behalf of our members.  Making these successes public reminds the employer of its responsibilities and encourages more people to get involved as both members and stewards and UNISON therefore reserves the right to use case details in publicity or case study/learning material.  UNISON will not use your name without your permission.



Privacy policy


UNISON is committed to safeguarding the privacy of our website visitors and people using our services; this policy sets out how we will treat your personal information.


The policy reflects our duties under the Data Protection Act to use information fairly, keep it secure, make sure it is accurate and keep it up to date. This policy applies to all the pages hosted on this site. It does not apply to other organisations to which we may link and whose privacy policies may differ. 
For more details on the policy

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