• We have almost 1.3million members working across the public services.
• We have more workplace reps than any other union in the country
• Our reps arebacked up by experienced full-time regional and national officers

• Unrivalled protection and representation at work
• Help with pay and conditions of service
• Health and safety guidance and support
• Confidential welfare services for you and your dependents in difficult times
• Excellent legal services including free help with work problems and legal
• support for members and their families
• Pensions advice
• A special hotline, UNISONdirect, for help and advice on workplace issues
• Online employment and workplace advice
• Education and training advice and courses, leading to vocational and
• professional qualifications
• Cash benefits for accidents and injuries at work
• A colour magazine sent to your home four times a year, a fortnightly
• newspaper for our stewards and activists and a full range of publicity
• Special deals on everything from computers, tax returns, holidays, mortgages,
• car breakdown services, insurance and credit cards
• Our own holiday centre for members and families at the Devon seaside

1) No one works harder
UNISON won more than £35million in injury settlement payouts for its members last year, has fought many high-profile equal pay claims around the country, and is a major influence on government policy such as the minimum wage, health care, policing and pensions.

2) Women represented
UNISON's membership is two-thirds women - so we make sure their voices are heard throughout the union. At every level of the union, women are elected in fair proportion to their membership.

3) A voice for everyone
UNISON makes sure everyone has a say in how the union is run, from branch member to general secretary. Our unique structure ensures top-quality help and advice is available at local, regional and national level.

4) Bigger and better
UNISON is not only the country’s biggest trade union, it’s one of the fastest growing too. Last year UNISON recruited 148,755 new members, a staggering 407 per day. This is another step along the road to building an organising union of two million members.

• UNISON has secured over £35 million in compensation to its members for personal injury settlements in the past year alone.
• UNISON achieved a £4 million settlement of an equal pay claim for over 1,500 school meals workers employed by the former Cleveland County Council.
• UNISON has made a number of submissions to the Low Pay Commission (LPC), pushing for a £5 an hour minimum wage. As a result of UNISON’s work, the LPC is now a permanent body and its scope has been widened to examine all aspects of poverty pay.
• UNISON was the key player in ensuring the government increased the value of the Basic State Pension in real terms for the first time in 20 years. UNISON’s delegation to the Labour Party also successfully argued for the restoration of the link to earnings.
• UNISON is the country's first carbon neutral trade union, thanks to its policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through its partnership with Future Forests and the planting of thousands of trees across the UK.
• UNISON has campaigned hard for increased funding for the NHS and the government is now implementing real terms increases of six per cent for the next three years.
• UNISON has been invited by the Home Office to join the influential Police Reform Steering Forum, developing radical proposals to improve UK policing.
• UNISON's helpline for members and stewards, UNISONdirect (0845 355 0845), handled some 51,800 calls last year. A year-on-year rise of 228 per cent

• You have the legal right to be accompanied by a trade union representative if you have a workplace grievance or if you are facing disciplinary action.

• Trade union collective bargaining produces a better rate of pay for workers. Average earnings are around eight per cent higher in workplaces where the bulk of the workforce is covered by collective bargaining.
  Black and Asian trade unionists earn almost a third more than their non-union counterparts. For white workers the union premium is ten per cent.

• Workplaces are more likely to have a pension scheme where a trade union is recognised for the purposes of collective bargaining.

• Workers in unionised workplaces are more likely to get sick pay paid at higher than the statutory minimum than those in non-unionised workplaces.

• The average trade union member in the UK gets 29 days' annual leave a year compared with 23 days for non-union members.

• Studies found there was a 50 per cent reduction in major injuries in workplaces where there were trade union safety reps and consultation. In trade unionised workplaces there was a 33 per cent improvement in health and safety

• Unions won over £321 million in legal compensation for their members who were victims of work-related illness and injury in 2000 - an average of more than £6,000 per case.
• UNISON won £35 million for its members in personal injury cases alone in 2001 and many millions more in employment tribunal cases.
• A majority of unions also offer legal help in non-work related cases, such as claiming social security benefits, representation in road traffic cases, free wills, and so on to members and their families.
• Unions win or achieve settlements in 77 per cent of cases lodged with tribunals compared with 45 per cent of cases overall.

• Workers in unionised workplaces are more likely to receive job-related training than those in non-unionised workplaces.

• Unions offer additional fringe membership benefits such as cheaper mortgages and insurance, holiday clubs, shopping discounts, credit cards, discounted car breakdown membership and so on.

» Click here to visit the about us on the main UNISON web Site

» Click here to visit our Members benefits page

• Joining is easy. Either download the membership form fill it in, and hand it to your station rep, we will take care of the rest.
  

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