Welcome to the Greater London Education page!
If you think you might like to become more active in your union then we are happy to offer the training.
New training guide coming soon!
If you have any queries regarding these courses or any other courses, please contact Amanda Mayers – a.mayers@unison.co.uk
Introductory Stewards Course
This is a regional course for untrained stewards in the Greater London Region, leading to ERA accreditation.
What will the course cover?
- Understand the role of an organising union in public services;
- Recognise the importance of equalities in UNISON;
- Work with members to tackle issues in the workplace;
- Work with members in resolving cases;
- Know where and when to seek advice and guidance;
- Understand how procedures work in practice;
- Handle grievance and disciplinary and similar types of cases as the representative of UNISON members within your workplace;
- Be certified as competent to accompany members at a disciplinary and grievance hearing in line with Employment Relations Act 1999;
- Understand the broader roles in which UNISON operates, including internationally.
Please note attendees must be an elected Steward to attend these courses and their membership record must confirm this.
NEW 12,19 & 26 January & 2,9 & 16 February 2024 (Fridays)
In Person
NEW 23, 24 & 25 January & 1 February 2024 – Online
NEW 23 February & 1,8,15 & 22 March 2024 (Fridays) – In Person
Stewards Refresher
The online course is for UNISON stewards who did an Introductory Organising Steward course over five years ago OR reps and branch officers who have never done an Introductory Organising Steward Course but have been carrying out the full role of a steward i.e. representing members on grievances and disciplinaries.
This course is designed to meet the requirements of the Employment Relations Act (ERA) on re-accreditation and will provide the opportunity to refresh and update your skills as well as to be briefed on any legislative changes and/or updates to UNISON’s policy and procedures. UNISON’s NEC determined in 2010 that all UNISON reps should attend a Stewards Refresher course every five years.
The course is approximately 8 hours in total, over the two days. This will comprise of online classroom sessions (via MS Teams or Zoom) with the tutor from 9am – 1pm each morning on both days, with some course work in between sessions. You must be available to attend both sessions and ideally you will receive time off from your employer for you to complete this on both days.
£30 course fee
6 and 13 December 2023 (Wednesdays) – Online
NEW 24 and 31 January 2024 (Thursdays) – In Person
NEW 13 & 20 March 2024 (Wednesdays) – Online
Lost in UNISON
UNISON is committed to helping and developing you, our new stewards through this initial period while you’re still finding your feet. We’d like to invite you to attend a steward induction session which will give you some training in steward basics, allow you to explore your role, develop your skills and gain the experience and confidence to be an effective steward in your workplace.
The course is 6 hours in total, over the two days. This will comprise of two sessions with the tutors between 10am and 1pm on both dates. You must be available to attend both sessions and ideally you will receive time off from your employer for you to complete this on both days.
Coming soon
Introductory Health and Safety Reps Course
This is a regional course for untrained health & safety reps in the Greater London Region, covering all aspects of the role.
Please note attendees must be an elected Health & Safety Rep to attend these courses and their membership record must confirm this.
NEW 8,15,22 & 29 January & 5 & 12 February 2024 (Mondays) – In Person
NEW 18-22 March 2024 – Online
Branch Officer Courses
Branch Chair Training Course
24 and 25 April 2024 – Central London
Attendees must be able to attend on both dates.
The course will aim to cover:
– Role of the UNISON Branch Chair;
– Preparation in advance of the meeting such as drafting the agenda;
– Facilitating meetings in such a way as to remove barriers to participate and ensure a meeting is as accessible as possible.
Finance and the Organised Branch
21 and 22 May 2024 – Central London
This course is aimed at Branch Treasurers and Branch Officers interested in the role of branch finances. It is NOT designed to make the learner a “financial expert” but will cover the main duties and responsibilities of a UNISON Branch Treasurer; the branch accounting cycle and the role that branch finances play supporting and achieving UNISON’s priorities and objectives.
Please note you must have been trained on OLBA before attending this course.
Branch Comms Officer Training
16 April 2024 – Online
This online course is aimed at both Branch Communication Officers and other branch Officers who are interested in communicating with members and activists. COVID-19 has meant there is a greater
importance in how we communicate with members online.
Branch Women’s Officer Training
7 and 8 May 2024 – Central London
This two-day course is aimed at Branch Women’s Officers and aims to:
- To define the role of a UNISON branch Women’s officer or contact
- To establish how to access resources, make useful links and develop strategies for supporting women members in their branches
- To consider how to campaign and get equality issues on the recruitment and bargaining agenda
The £30 course fee will apply per day.
More Advanced Courses
These courses are particularly aimed at more experienced activists who have already completed their introductory stewards training. Details of each and links to register can be found below. Applicants need to be able to attend the course on all three days and be ERA accredited.
You are encouraged to request time off from your employer to attend this training. If you need any support in requesting time off, please contact your branch in the first instance.
Introduction to Pensions
6 – 8 December 2023 – In Person
For most, if not all UNISON members, their pension will represent their future income during their retirement. Knowing what that income will look like is key for any UNISON representative to know. It is also important because that income will determine the standard of living for that person when they are no longer in paid employment. For that reason, understanding the basics and knowing the role that UNISON plays is essential for any UNISON rep to know. Aimed at branch reps from across service groups, it seeks to demystify some of the issues around pensions. It helps reps to understand their own pension queries and to support and signpost members with similar questions. This is a highly recommended course.