Branch Chair

Vacant

The branch chair facilitates branch and committee meetings, and is also a senior negotiator. This includes:

• chairing all meetings of the branch and branch committee, agreeing the agenda for meetings with the secretary and making sure that business is properly conducted in line with union democracy;

• advising branch officers and the branch committee on procedure and rules;

• making sure all functions of the branch are carried out;

• working closely with the secretary and other officers to provide leadership to the branch.

Nick Humphries
Library

Contact via Nick.Humphries@warwick.ac.uk

Promoting health and safety at work is one of the functions of the branch.

Even though employers have clear legal duties to make sure that employment does not cause death, injury or ill-health, health and safety is a trade union issue and not something which can be left to management.

The branch health and safety officer’s role includes:

• making sure members, safety reps and branch officers are aware of health and safety issues;
• co-ordinating the activity of safety reps, including making sure that there are enough reps in the workplaces organised by the branch, and convening regular meetings of safety reps;
• organising the information held by the branch on health and safety;
• acting as a link between safety reps and other branch reps to make sure that health and safety issues are treated as an integral part of the work of the branch;
• reporting on health and safety issues at branch meetings, committee meetings and annual meetings;
• liaising with relevant branch officers about priorities for health and safety training, campaigns and publicity materials;
• keeping contact with the region and regional service groups, for example via the regional health and safety committee and the national health and safety structures;
• liaising with the equalities officer(s) to make sure that equal opportunities aspects of health and safety issues are taken into account and vice versa.

Karen Markey
Estates Department

Contact via

Responsible for managing branch finances, including keeping accounts.

The main responsibilities of branch treasurers include:

• keeping accounts in accordance with the rules;
• preparing budgets for defined areas of activities such as welfare, recruitment, campaigning, etc;
• providing reports on the financial position of the branch to the branch committee or branch executive committee;
• providing a detailed financial report for the annual branch meeting(s);
• advising the branch officers and branch committee on matters relating to financial management and appropriate expenditure;
• providing an audited annual return of branch income.

Antonia Mayers
Library

Contact via

Makes sure that that members seeking welfare assistance receive a prompt, supportive and effective response. This includes:

• making sure branch officers, stewards and workplace reps, as well as employers, have regular up-to-date information about There for You (UNISON’s Welfare charity) and its range of services;
• liaising and co-ordinating with the UNISON centre and regions to make sure There for You support is provided effectively;
• undertaking training and seek advice from There for You where necessary;
• developing and co-ordinating local welfare activity;
• developing links with local charities and sources of support such as citizen’s advice bureaus and women’s refuges.

Yue Zhou (also a Union Learning Rep)
Centre for Lifelong Learning

Contact via

Organises, co-ordinates and promotes opportunities for learning with the branch, for the branch committee and members.

The role includes:

• co-ordinating the union's learning reps
• recruiting new union's learning reps
• negotiating on learning issues
• co-ordinating and promoting learning opportunities for the branch

Yue Zhou (also a Union Learning Rep)
Centre for Lifelong Learning

Contact via

The branch communications officer’s role includes:

• explaining UNISON’s policies and providing the information members need to play an active role in their union;
• helping the branch’s recruitment and organising;
• supporting UNISON’s national and regional campaigns;
• creating a positive image for the branch and wider union among members, potential members and the public;
• producing news-sheets, bulletins or digital communication for distribution to branch members;
• making sure branch communications are in the accessible formats members need;
• making sure that centrally and regionally produced publicity, communications and campaign materials are distributed, as appropriate, to stewards, members and non-members;
• monitoring and liaising with local media.

James Clement

Wellbeing Support Services

Contact via

This officer develops and leads on international solidarity activities including campaigns, twinning with sister unions and support for projects abroad.

The role includes:

• co-ordinating the branch’s work on international relations;
• making sure members are informed of national policy on international matters;
• receiving and distributing relevant information;
• encouraging members to be aware of the importance of international solidarity issues within the context of the overall work of the union;
• liaising where appropriate with central and regional international structures and reporting the views of the branch on international activities;
• liaising with other branch officers concerning publicity and education on international issues;
• liaising with the solidarity organisations and campaigns that UNISON is affiliated to;
• encouraging members of the branch to take action and take part in international solidarity activities organised nationally or regionally;
• developing an international perspective among members, stewards and branch officers.

Sophie Clark
Students' Union

Contact via Sophie.Clark@warwicksu.com

Work on equal rights issues including sex, race, disability and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues (there may be up to four per branch).

Branch equality co-ordinators have a number of important functions. But it is not expected that the office holder will be the fount of all knowledge on every equality issue, nor carry sole responsibility for the branch’s equality work.

Everyone shares responsibility for tackling prejudice and discrimination and promoting equality.

The role of branch equality co-ordinators is to co-ordinate and monitor this shared responsibility. The role includes:

• being the identified and well-publicised point of contact in the branch for equality issues;
• collecting and sharing information on equalities issues, including information from the regional and national self-organised groups;
• making sure other branch officers and the branch committee consider the equalities dimension of everything they do;
• making sure equality is raised in all collective bargaining – not just in bargaining on ‘pure’ equalities issues;
• encouraging and supporting the development of branch self-organised groups on behalf of the branch committee, co-ordinating among them and between them and the branch committee;
• making sure new recruits and potential members know about UNISON’s commitment to equality and the opportunity to take part in self-organisation;
• advising the branch officers and branch committee on the development and monitoring of the action plan to achieve proportionality and fair representation;
• co-ordinating the development and training of members from under-represented groups;
• co-ordinating motions and support for delegates attending self-organised group conferences.

Karen Markey

Estates Department

Contact via

Co-ordinates the union’s green and environmental agenda in the branch.

This is still a new role in many UNISON branches. The job of trade union environmental representative involves representing the workforce in discussions and negotiations regarding the development and implementation of company / employer environmental policies and practices.

Where resources and capacity exist, the job can also involve acting on behalf of members as a link person with local environmental campaign organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace or Stop Climate Chaos.

Environmental policies and practices can cover areas such as energy use, recycling, travel and procurement.

Membership Officer (shared role)

Karen Markey, Estates Department, contact via

Yue Zhou, Centre for Lifelong Learning, contact via

Nick Humphries, Library, contact via Nick.Humphries@warwick.ac.uk

Keeps track of the branch’s membership and works to develop recruitment and organising.

The role includes:

• mapping the branch’s membership to identify membership density and steward coverage – and where there are gaps;
• making sure the branch and union has accurate membership records;
• monitoring the branch’s recruitment and retention rate;
• working with the branch committee and regional organising staff to develop and implement the branch’s organisation and development plan;
• making recommendations to the branch committee on recruitment activities, targets, resources, budgets, etc.

Stewards help to organise your colleagues into an effective, strong and welcoming membership. They:

Within the branch, our stewards...

• Act as the first point of contact for members in a workplace
• Talk to members about the union
• Talk to staff about their issues
• Offer advice on issues at work
• Represent members in cases (including at disciplinary and grievance hearings).
• Campaign for better working conditions
• Recruit and organise new members
• Encourage more members to get active in UNISON
• Raise members’ issues within the branch.

Find out more about what stewards do, and who our current stewards are, here.

Yue Zhou
Centre for Lifelong Learning

Contact via

&

Sam Parr

Dean of Students' Office

Contact via

Organises, co-ordinates and promotes opportunities for learning with the branch, for the branch committee and members.

The role includes:

• co-ordinating the union's learning reps
• recruiting new union's learning reps
• negotiating on learning issues
• co-ordinating and promoting learning opportunities for the branch