Colleague Union - Usdaw

"I have the pleasure of overseeing and maintaining the Society’s relationship with Usdaw, the Society’s recognised union. We enjoy a strong, proactive relationship and we engage on all aspects of a colleague’s employment including pay negotiations, working conditions and colleague benefits.

The Society meets with Usdaw representatives regularly to ensure they are kept up to date with any developments within the Society, so we can obtain their valuable feedback and input to any proposals, to ensure that our colleagues receive true representation. Usdaw also have the ability to raise their members' concerns to the Society so that they can be formally reviewed and addressed as well as requesting the Society to assist engagement in their campaigning for better working conditions, especially around Freedom from Fear which the Society actively supports.

Our relationship has never been tested as much as it was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic which turned the world upside down in March 2020 and caused significant changes to the way we work and operate in the Society. I am pleased to say that the Society’s relationship with Usdaw went from strength to strength during this time. Together we actively engaged to ensure that a colleague’s health, safety and wellbeing were at the forefront of every decision we made in unprecedented times. 

I would actively encourage any colleague to become a member of Usdaw and take full advantage of all the benefits their membership brings. If you are already a member, I would also encourage colleagues to look at wider opportunities their membership may bring for example becoming an Usdaw colleague representative."

Nick Porter

Head of Colleague Relations