Negotiating and bargaining

UNISON negotiates with employers to protect and promote the interests of our members and to create fairness and equality at work

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How we negotiate and bargain with employers  

Our workplace reps make sure our members’ views and concerns are heard. 

Many branches have negotiating teams of branch officers, stewards and safety reps, working together for their members. A group of UNISON reps can form a collective bargaining group to negotiate at a local or national level.

They may bargain over pay-related issues, working conditions or pensions. They may also negotiate over other issues such as working hours, planned redundancies or flexible working.

Negotiating is not always a skill that comes easily. UNISON provides training courses across our regions to support our negotiating teams in this vital work.

We work with employers on behalf of our members

Much of the work of a union involves working with employers. We aim to build and maintain relationships with employers that are good for everyone involved.  

In organisations or sectors where UNISON is recognised by an employer, we can carry out negotiations and collective bargaining on behalf of our members.

Collective bargaining aims to reach an agreement between employers and workers. It allows workers to approach employers as a unified group, sharing their views with their workplace representatives as negotiations take place. 

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