Branch Officers and Workplace Reps

UNISON has 1,200 branches in the UK. A branch is made up of all its members.

Our volunteer workplace reps play a vital day-to-day role in helping UNISON members.

They are organisers who talk to, recruit and organise members around workplace issues, hold meetings, undertake surveys and help run ballots. They give members information about union issues by publicising UNISON campaigns, distributing leaflets and keeping members informed about and involved in local negotiations. They are advisers and sounding boards, talking to members about workplace problems and – if they feel confident – giving advice on how to deal with these. Alternatively, they may arrange for the member to get advice or assistance from elsewhere in the union, or work with them to get the information they need. They are representatives and spokespersons for members in their workplace. Reps also act as a link between members, other union representatives and the national organisation. Where the union has a recognition agreement, stewards, health and safety reps and learning reps have a legal right to ‘reasonable’ time off for union duties. Good recognition agreements may also allow some time off for union activities – rather than duties – but with will depend on the particular agreement and employer. Support is available for UNISON reps from your branch and region, as well as more experienced colleagues, and every region runs training courses for reps throughout the year.

Find your Rep

Search for a Rep by your employer, workplace or name below. If you don’t currently have a workplace rep, why not speak to colleagues about electing someone. Find out more here.

Search for your local Workplace Representative here

Branch Officers

Members are elected by the workforce to fulfil different roles in the running of the branch. 

Your Bristol Branch Officers are: 

The following Branch Officer positions are currently vacant. Please contact us if you are interested in receiving more information about any of these roles. 

Branch welfare officer

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.

Branch education co-ordinator

Helps arrange training courses and education programmes for members, stewards, health and safety reps and branch officers.

The role includes:

• making sure all new stewards and reps receive information about the branch and their role;
• publicising the range of educational and training opportunities available to members and activists, and making sure that all reps go on appropriate courses;
• talking to existing reps about their ongoing training and development needs;
• organising a plan of training for activists and producing an annual budget to meet its costs;
• keeping records of what training has been undertaken and by whom within the branch;
• negotiating with the employer, along with union learning reps on issues relating to learning including time off;
• supporting and co-ordinating the work of buddies and mentors in the branch.

Branch young members’ officer

The role of the branch young members’ officer is ideal for someone who is interested in becoming more active in the union.

The post may be a stepping stone to becoming a steward or taking on wider roles.

The responsibilities include:

• recruiting new members and organising and encouraging existing young members to become active in the branch and in UNISON campaigns;
• building a branch young members’ organisation and making sure there are potential new young members’ officers in the future;
• making sure issues of concern to young workers are raised through the branch;
• acting as a focal point for all young workers in the branch and workplaces;
• receiving and distributing UNISON young members’ information.

Other branch officers will help in these tasks. Branch young members’ officer must be under 27 years of age for the whole of their term of office.

Branch CVS Convenor 

Senior reps in departments and sectors of the community and voluntary sector