Unison

What is Unison?

UNISON is the UK’s largest Trade Union, with over 1.3 million members who work across the public sector. As a trade union, workers collectively come together in membership to defend and improve working lives and stand together in the workplace and community

We campaign for:

  • Better pay via negotiation and bargaining with employers
  • Improved working conditions including challenging unreasonable workloads, stress and unfair practices
  • Fighting for dignity at work and equality in our society
  • Enhancing Health & Safety in workplaces
  • Representing individual and collective groups of members
  • Educating and empowering members

In addition to being part of the movement for the above, when you sign up you have access to the following:

  • Representation, advice and support for individual and collective workplace issues.
  • Support with formal meetings such as grievances, disciplinaries, sickness absence, flexible working and more.
  • Legal services and financial advice for work and home
  • Free careers advice, education and training opportunities via UNISON College
  • Member discounts on holidays, shopping, dental and much more.

What is a trade union? – UNISON Shop

RHN Branch Stewards

  • Katy Merrison – Unison Occupational Therapy Representative
  • Patience Owusu – Unison Representative

You can contact us via: Unisonreps@rhn.org.uk

What we can help with?

  • We are the representatives and spokespersons for members within RHN.
  • We are the point of contact for any individual member or groups of members who have any workplace issues.
  • We will keep you informed about local negotiations.
  • We also recruit and organise members and help run ballots.

You can find out more information here.

Join now

UNISON Greater London Region

Our branch is part of the Greater London Region within UNISON. You can see the campaigns, events, and information about what is going on with UNISON across Greater London, as well as the contact details here.

Meeting dates

We plan to have regular members’ meetings every quarter. Please watch this space for upcoming meeting dates   

Autumn Unison meeting: Wednesday 16 October 2024 in the Coombs Meeting room.

Joint Union Partnership & Newsletter

The purpose of the Joint Union Partnership (JUP) is to provide a forum for consultation and negotiation between RHN management and trade union representatives on matters of a general or organisation-wide nature.

The RHN Unison Branch will aim to produce a newsletter summarising what was discussed in the quarterly Joint Union and Executive Team meetings. This will be on matters including pay, policies, wellbeing business and refurbishment updates.

Link for recent newsletter: watch this space…

Become a Rep!

If you would like to become more involved and become a representative, we are looking for the below roles:

  • More discipline-specific reps: represent and support your clinical discipline or local area e.g. nursing representatives, Admin representatives, Estates and Facilities representatives.
  • Branch chair
  • Branch secretary
  • Branch treasurer
  • Branch health and safety officer
  • Branch young members’ officer
  • Branch equalities co-ordinator(s)
  • Branch education co-ordinator
  • Branch lifelong learning co-ordinator
  • Branch communications officer
  • Branch international relations officer
  • Branch membership officer
  • Branch welfare officer
  • Branch women’s officer
  • Retired members’ officer
  • Labour Link officer (England, Wales and Scotland)
  • Environmental officer.

You can find out more here.