As we wave goodbye to Q3 and move into Q4, we can reflect on another very busy month for AU.

September has seen us attend the TUC conference which you may have seen reported in the news. It was a great opportunity to hear the concerns of the members in other unions and in other sectors and how there is a lot of similar issues that are being faced by all workers in the UK.

We also took the opportunity to talk to representatives from unions a little closer to home. I was able to meet with the CWU General Secretary, Dave Ward, the Nationwide Group Staff Union, Emma Clay, and the General Secretary of Accord (who represent members in TSB) Ged Nicholls.

It was time well spent and to share each others thoughts about how we can work more closely as sector Unions, while maintaining the specialism and focus we all have on our respective members.

We have also started our site visits, with a clear aim to visit each site that AU represents. In September, we visited Bradford, and it was a chance to spend some time with our site-based reps, talk to members, but also reach out to potential members and talk about the benefits of being a union member. We are in Belfast later this month and will look forward to speaking to members and reps onsite, so please if you are in the area then pop along for a chat.

We also put on an all-member webinar which was very well attended, and again gave members the opportunity to tell us firsthand the things that they want us to address with the bank. This is so important and part of our new strategy to be far more member centric and accountable. We will be making these regular events and will be planning the next one around December time, this will likely focus on the EOY process and ratings appeals so keep an eye out for that.

New facilities agreement

We are progressing towards an agreement to give reps allocated time to fulfil a variety of activities and duties for the union. This will give selected reps a real opportunity to shape their involvement with AU to suit their strengths and areas of focus. We are still looking for reps to take on the following roles;

Case Worker

The case worker role would mean that you would support members in a variety of formal meetings that could be anything from grievances to ratings appeals to disciplinaries. You can expect to be fully trained and have expert and dedicated support before being asked to represent members on your own. We are looking for people who are organised and want to help members present mitigation to the chairperson, giving support through the full process.

Regional Organiser

Regional organisers will work very closely with our national lead for recruitment and retention, visiting sites and branches and talking to potential members about why they need to become part of our collective voice. This is a pivotal role in growing our union. The ideal rep will have great interpersonal skills and enjoy engaging with non-members to talk about the work we do, how they will benefit and the protection we offer, as well as having a good understanding of our additional member benefits.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in then please contact us at comms@advance-union.org

Recruitment Campaign

This is just a reminder that we are continuing to operate the current reward campaign (2 for 2 for £20)  for member recruitment until 31^st of October 2025, and following that, we are launching a new simplified version based on the feedback we have had. Please look out for the full details on this in the coming weeks.

Lastly, I want to thank you all for your continued efforts. I know being a workplace rep is a very difficult task and often without the recognition you deserve.

Keep up the great work

Jim