Congratulations on becoming a UCU activist/rep. If you have yet to inform your employer that you are now a UCU Rep please adapt and use this model letter.
The Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (TULR(C)A) in conjunction with the ACAS Code, requires your employer to give you reasonable time off to carry out your duties related to you role; and to undergo the necessary training to enable you to fulfill your elected role fully and to best support UCU members where you work.
The ACAS Code of Practice on Time off for trade union duties and activities highlights the importance of training to equip trade union reps with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable you to carry out your role effectively. The code advises employers to consider releasing trade union reps for initial training in basic representational skills as soon as possible after their election or appointment. A copy of the code can be downloaded at www.acas.org.uk
UCU Training
There are a range of UCU training courses, for which you are entitled to time off with pay. It is a requirement that, for certain purposes, such as accompanying a member at a grievance or disciplinary meeting, UCU representatives are accredited and therefore it is important that you attend the appropriate training.
We advise you to give your employer adequate notice of training courses in order that they can provide cover. If your employer refuses time off for training, you should contact the Regional Office for assistance.
In order to ensure we are using UCU finances appropriately UCU courses are delivered on a regional basis. This approach also helps build local networks and gain a better understanding of local bargaining situations. Therefore you should check what courses the Northern Region is running, and only apply for training in other regions if our region is not running the course, or if there is a specific reason you cannot attend the course set in your region.
For details of UCU training see the national website
If you have any queries regarding training please contact Emma Alexander, UCU Regional Administrator ealexander@ucu.org.uk
Northern Region New Activist Handbook
How to use the online handbook
56 UCU documents have been uploaded to Please click on the link to UCU Activist Handbook Please see the full list of numbered documents available to you.
The handbook has a list of what each of the 56 online numbered documents are.
The handbook then has an A-Z index of information / subject areas that a UCU activist is likely to need access to. The index shows the rep which of the 56 numbered documents include the information on each subject. The index also includes relevant website links to information.
For example, a rep might need to know about Facility Time. A quick look in the handbook’s index for ‘Facility Time’ shows online document number 11 is relevant. The rep would then simply go to UCU Activist Handbook and open document 11.
The online documents can be viewed online, downloaded and/or printed.
We suggest you save the link as a ‘Favourite’ for easy access, and print the handbook to use as a hard copy index.
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Open in new tab Your role as a UCU activist / rep
- The rep is primarily a problem solver. In some cases, ‘solving’ could mean mediating a dispute between two members, talking informally to a line manager, helping a member to submit a written grievance, or referring a problem to the local committee.
- A rep builds confidence and promotes mutual support.
- Confidence and mutual support are achieved when the rep involves other staff in the creative resolution of a member’s problem or grievance.
- The rep encourages members to find solutions together by facilitating problem solving.
- The rep is also the key link between the membership and the leadership of branches.
- The rep should pass on important information about union activities and encourage membership involvement in union activities.
- The rep should also pass on complaints about the union to the local branch committee.
- Reps are expected to be active in their branch, supporting organising and building the branch. This includes trying as far as possible to build a team of reps that is representative of the branch as a whole.
UCU’s expectations of the rep
- All parties are expected to deal with all issues, whether in writing or orally, in a courteous and business-like manner.
- A rep is not a counsellor, although some of these skills may be required.
- A rep is not a lawyer, although some knowledge of employment law is required.
- The expectation is that the rep will build a collaborative approach with members seeking individual support – the problem remains the responsibility of the member.
- Unions are not just insurance policies where you pay your dues and expect someone to solve your problems for you. Unions are self-help organisations where the members work together in order to solve common problems.
- Encourage members to find solutions themselves so they don’t become totally reliant on someone else doing it for them. For example: direct them to the UCU website or to the online UCU Support Centre ucu.custhelp.com/app/home The Support Centre provides answers to the most frequently raised questions which UCU receives, together with news of developments in employment law.
- Essentially reps need to remember that by working together with members, positive changes in working terms and conditions can be achieved. Encouraging others to assume collective responsibility and get involved.
UCU Regional Office
| Address : | UCU
J32 The Avenues Eleventh Avenue North Team Valley Trading Estate Gateshead NE11 0NJ |
| Link to map and directions : | ucunorthern.org.uk/map |
| Visitors by appointment only. | |
| Email (all Regional Office staff) : | gateshead@ucu.org.uk |
| Website: | ucunorthern.org.uk |
| Twitter : | @UCUNorthern |
| Facebook: | facebook.com/UCUNorthern |
| instagram.com/ucunorthern | |
UCU Regional Offices provide employment and trade union organisation expertise and advice to branches.
Regional offices’ central roles are
- to help branches build their organisation, campaign and negotiate around issues
- to equip branches to represent individual members where necessary
They can help you
- Develop a project plan to increase the number and spread of reps, ensuring their access to training and support
- Arrange training for reps
- Negotiate time, cover and facilities for reps
They will
- Ensure reps have access to effective support on bargaining and representation issues, such as toolkits and information from the agreements database
- Ensure reps have access to advice and information on organising and legal issues
Regional Offices prioritise
- Providing support for collective issues and branch development
- Requests from branches and reps needing help to respond to members’ enquiries.
Individual representation : Ways of working
UCU generally tries to resolve members’ problems through negotiation, usually at a local level. See ucu.org.uk/support
Individual members contacting Regional Offices directly will generally be referred to their local branch / LA as the first point of contact.
Reps should initially consult the national guidance on handling such issues and use the online UCU Support Centre. There are, however, some issues on which you must contact the office immediately so we may offer professional advice:
Where necessary, full-time officials will provide advice to branch / LA officers and reps requiring assistance but it will be the responsibility of the rep, in conjunction with the member, to provide all relevant evidence and information, including interviewing of members and witnesses.
On the request of branch officers, but as an exception, not as a rule, direct representation for individuals may be provided by full time officials in dismissal hearings, appeal hearings against dismissal, disciplinary action against lay representatives, difficult discrimination cases or where there is a challenge to authority or role of the union. Again, branch/LA reps will be required to undertake the necessary collection of evidence and accompany the full time official in any hearing.
Unless there are no local branch officers or reps, full time officials will not normally represent any individual members at any stage in grievance procedures.
Where advice is given and a member fails to take that advice the union is not obliged to continue representation.
Requests by individuals for legal assistance will be dealt with under the terms of the Legal assistance scheme.
Branch / LA officers and Regional Office staff will respect individual members’ confidentiality; however it will not usually be possible to proceed with most issues without some disclosure. Members who do not want details of their case to be disclosed should make this clear to the representative they are dealing with.
Collective Bargaining Issues
Branches have the primary responsibility for directly representing and organising members on collective employment issues that are the responsibility of the local employer. This includes attending meetings to negotiate directly with management. Full-time officials will provide advice to officers and reps seeking assistance.
The direct involvement of full-time officials in branch/LA collective bargaining, including where necessary attending meetings with management, is normally confined to major strategic areas which include the following:
- Significant contractual changes including pay
- Redundancies
- Mergers
- Recognition issues including facility agreements
- Equality issues
Branch officers should always contact the Regional Office in the above situations.
Regional Officials have a responsibility to ensure that where national agreements exist, branches do not reach local agreements that undermine them. Similarly where national policy exists, Regional Officials have a responsibility to ensure that branches do not reach local agreements that undermine them.
Industrial Action
Regional Officials have a responsibility for seeking to ensure that full requirements of relevant employment legislation are met when ballots are held for industrial action.
Under nationally agreed union procedures branch officers are required to seek the advice and involvement of the relevant official whenever the branch decides to embark on industrial action.
90 day waiting period
Members requesting any assistance from a branch or the Regional Office should be aware that their membership status will be checked. Part of the membership check will be to ensure the member fulfills UCU’s 90 day waiting period. Like insurance, trade unions only work if there is membership in advance of a problem. Union members need to join before problems arise. It is important to remember that members are not normally eligible for either advice / representation from the Regional Office, or legal services if an issue / dispute started either:
- a) before joining UCU OR
- b) occurred during the 90 day waiting period
The waiting period does not apply to those who join UCU within 30 days of starting employment.
UCU Online
The UCU website ucu.org.uk offers online resources including:
- Information on the various rep roles and the legislation, agreements and practice that empower the rep, including the ‘Role of the Rep’ handbook :
- UCU ‘Build the Branch’
We recommend you also see our region’s Twitter @UCUNorthern and regional website ucunorthern.org.uk
Your UCU membership record
Please remember it is important that you keep your UCU membership record up to date via the online facility eServices. This includes making sure you are paying your membership subscription at the correct rate for your income. Step by step instructions on how to use eservices are available here
If you have any queries about your role as a UCU Rep, please do not hesitate to contact the Regional Office.
