Without UNISON reps, there wouldn’t be a UNISON. Reps are the face of the union in the workplace and the first port of call when our members get in trouble.
These volunteers make an immeasurable contribution to our union, often going far beyond the facility time available to make our public services better places to work – and by extension better for the public.
All our reps are fully trained and supported to assist and organise public service workers. At the end of one recent training course, we spoke to some of our newly certified reps about why they wanted to get involved.
Linda, care worker
“I wanted to become a rep to speak up, speak out, learn and gain a lot of confidence – and it’s another aspect to my job so will keep my entertained.”
She joined UNISON four years ago and after taking part in care workers campaigning, including a trip to Parliament to lobby her MP, she decided to get more involved.
She’s now looking forward to getting “stuck in and learning the ropes.”
Sunny, ambulance worker
Sunny joined because he wanted to make sure people are being treated fairly.
“I’m looking forward to working with different people from diverse backgrounds, different genders, sexualities and make that everyone feels comfortable in their roles.”
He found the course “really engaging,” adding: “It’s really good to come to the forefront of a movement of people looking to make a change.”
Zara, care worker
For Zara, joining UNISON 12 years ago was just a natural part of working, but it wasn’t until recently when her children left home and she had a bit more time that she felt she could get properly involved.
She’s now looking forward to “helping people and helping to resolve their problems.”
Would she recommend the training? “Yes. It’s been great and there’s been great people on the course. I’m glad I’ve met them.”
Annie, council worker
Annie joined UNISON when she started in local government over 20 years ago and “just felt it was time to get involved and be more active.
She’s now looking forward to “making sure people are treated fairly” at work.
The course has been “really informative, fun and interactive and meeting other people is always great.” She feels “a lot more confident” to get out and do the reps role.
Cristin, ambulance worker
Cristin only joined UNISON a year before taking the plunge to become a rep.
He believes that “in any kind of work there’s always space for improvement, and with a big organisation like UNISON behind you there’s a chance of a better outcome.”
Now he’s trained, he’s looking forward to learning more so that he can best support his colleagues.
Susan, teaching assistant
Susan joined UNISON mainly for job security 15 years ago: “I felt if I had a problem, UNISON would be able to help.
But when there was no rep in her school she stepped up to the mark to help her colleagues.
Does she feel prepared? “Obviously it’ll be a bit of a learning curve but I’m confident that I’ve got a mentor who can help and I feel empowered by this course – like I can make a difference.”
If you’ve been inspired by these activists, why not check out the courses we have available so you can get trained up and be the difference in your workplace?
