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.
19 & 26 April & 3,10,17 & 24 May 2024 – In Person
NEW 14,15 & 16 May & 21, 22 & 23 May – Online
NEW 7,14,21 & 28 June & 5 & 12 July 2024 – In Person
NEW 24-28 June 2024 – Online
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
13 & 20 March 2024 (Wednesdays) – Online
NEW 1 & 8 May 2024 (Wednesdays) – In Person
NEW 19 & 26 June 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.
18-22 March 2024 – Online
NEW 22 & 29 April & 6,13 & May 2024 – In Person
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.
Branch Secretaries Course
28, 29 & 30 May 2024: Central London
The course will look at the role and responsibilities of UNISON Branch Secretaries and will run over three days as follows:- 28th, 29th & 30th May 2024 – venue Central London.
Attendees must be able to attend all three days.
The £30 course fee will apply.
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.
Employment Law Training for New Reps
26, 27 & 28 March 2024 – Central London
This course is aimed at new reps looking to develop their understanding of the basics of employment law which will assist you in your role undertaking individual casework and collective issues. The course specifically looks at TUPE and the wider employment law field, it will also cover recent developments in employment law.
You must be ERA accredited to attend this course.
The £30 course fee will apply.
Tackling Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
18 & 25 April 2024 – Central London
Unfortunately, sexual harassment is not new and is often rife in workplaces. It can affect anyone and can have a devastating impact on survivors, often leading to ill-health and work-related stress, affecting both work performance and a survivors’ personal life. It can leave people powerless, ashamed, hopeless and scared and is undoubtedly a trade union issue.
A study by the TUC in 2016 found that 52% of women had experienced unwanted behaviour at work including groping, sexual advances and inappropriate jokes. Among women and girls aged 16-24, the proportion reporting sexual harassment rose to 63%. Four in five women said they did not report the incidents to their employers, with many fearing that it would harm their relationships at work or that they would not be taken seriously.
This two-day course, taking place in our region for the first time will help participants to:
- To understand what constitutes sexual harassment
- To gain an awareness of the consequences and impact of sexual harassment for the individual, others and for an organisation
- To consider policies and procedures for dealing with sexual harassment and how to handle harassment cases
- To examine how to challenge harassment in the workplace
- To explore what we can do to help change a culture
The £30 course fee will apply.
Equality in Your Branch/Equality Reps Training
29 & 30 April & 1 May 2024 – UNISON Centre
Equality is at the heart of everything our unions does, and Equality Reps aim to make sure people are treated fairly at work without discrimination. This three day in person course is aimed at equality reps, or anyone interested in becoming an equality rep, to help you understand the role as well as finding out more about discrimination legislation and promoting equality in your workplace.
The course will run on three consecutive days Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 29 & 30 April & 1 May 2024.
The £30 course fee will apply.
Public Speaking, Speaking Out for Union Reps
7 & 8 May 2024: Venue TBC
Being able to present arguments clearly and confidently is a key skill for any union representative. As part of your role branch officers and reps often find themselves speaking not only to their members and employers but also at union meetings and conferences. To gain support, reps are encouraged to attend training that will allow them to develop this skill.
This two day course will aim to:
- Develop skills on how to write speeches;
- Demonstrate the ability to speak confidently;
- Practise public speaking;
- Gain a better understanding of meeting and UNISON conference processes.Attendees will need to be ERA accredited and secure time off to attend on all days of the course.
The course will run on two consecutive days – Tuesday & Wednesday 7 & 8 May 2024.
The £30 course fee will apply.
Dealing with a Grievance Case
11 & 12 June 2024: Venue TBC
This is a two-day, in person course which seeks to build on the knowledge and skills from the Introductory Stewards course to equip ERA trained Stewards to support members through the grievance process.
As well as an overview of the formal and informal process, the tutors will use videos of grievance hearings as case studies, linked to activities that explore arguments, used by the employer and how you as the UNISON representative can support your member to respond. The course will show how a typical hearing runs and examines the roles of all participants. If you have limited experience at representing members at these hearings or are going to do so in the future, this course will be a very useful opportunity to gain a better knowledge of this type of hearing.
The aims of the course are to:
- Examine the role of reps during grievance cases;
- To understand and manage the expectations of members;
- To consider the effectiveness of grievance procedures alongside other alternatives;
- To build on existing skills and knowledge in representation;
- To develop awareness of new communication methods to manage difficult situations
The £30 course fee will apply.
Dealing with a Disciplinary Case
2 & 3 July 2024: Venue TBC
This is a two-day, in person course which seeks to build on the knowledge and skills from the Introductory Stewards course to equip ERA trained Stewards to support members through the disciplinary process.
As well as an overview of the disciplinary process and the various stages this can entail, the tutors will use videos of disciplinary hearings as case studies, linked to activities that explore arguments, used by the employer and how you as the UNISON representative can support your member to respond. The course will show how a typical hearing runs and examines the roles of all participants. If you have limited experience at representing members at these hearings or are going to do so in the future, this course will be a very useful opportunity to gain a better knowledge of this type of hearing.
The aims of the course are to:
- Examine the role of reps during disciplinary cases;
- To understand and manage the expectations of members;
- To build on existing skills and knowledge in representation;
- To develop awareness of new communication methods to manage difficult situations
The £30 course fee will apply.