Union Structure

 

union structure

 

The TGWU has now joined forces with amicus to form Britain's biggest trade union Unite which has a combined membership of over 2 million people working in a diverse range of industries, sectors and workplaces.

 

Where do you fit in?

 

The structure of the Unite is based around the industries our members work in and the regions where they live. This ensures that every member gets the best representation at local and national level.

 

Branches

 

Every member of the union belongs to a branch.The Unite has around 6,000 branches up and down the country. Large workplaces have their own branch; members at workplaces that aren't big enough to have their own branch join workers from adjoining workplaces to form a branch. Each branch is part of a Unite region, of which there are eight. The branch is the first link between members and the union, and branch officers are lay members who serve for a period of two years.

 

Regions

 

At regional level, shop stewards, convenors, district and regional officials provide members with support in the workplace. Regional offices are the first port of call when there is an industrial query or problem.

 

Sectors and trade groups

 

As well as regional offices, the Unite is organised into industrial sectors to reflect the specific trade issues affecting members. There are four industrial sectors:

To ensure equality of opportunity for all, there is also a section dealing specifically with women, race and equalities.

Led by a national organiser, each sector has its own representative forum to ensure members are able to determine the direction of each sector, influencing workplace policies and campaigns.

The sectors are broken down into 14 trade groups.

 

Young and retired members

 

The T&G doesn't just focus on the industrial and geographical locations of its members. It recognises that when its members retire they still need protection, facing issues such as pensions, transport and health. As such it has a very active Retired Members' Association led by former T&G general secretary Jack Jones.

At the other end of the scale, those newly entering the workplace can face their own problems and have their own concerns. So, under the auspices of the Women, Race and Equalities sector, there is a Young Members forum that focuses on the issues that affect young workers.

 

General Executive Council

 

The General Executive Council (GEC) of the T&G is the overall governing body of the organisation and deals with issues of national importance to the union. Responsible for the administration and running of the T&G and for the views of the union on wider labour movement issues, the GEC scrutinises every issue considered by the organisation.

Each region ballots its members to elect representatives to the council, who report back to their regional committee. Similarly, the membership of each trade group is balloted to elect a representative to the council, reporting back to the national trade group committee. All voting members of the union's governing body are lay members who work in industry and services. Each member of the council must stand for re-election every two years and remain accountable to members at large.

The GEC's functions include setting the size of district or regional trade group committees; taking advice from regional committees on issues affecting members and making decisions about whether new branches should be established. The GEC also responds to resolutions on trade and organisational matters put forward by branches and fed through national trade groups, district committees and regional committees.

In addition, the council considers the minutes and reports of its constituent bodies:

  • The finance and general purposes committee deals with the finance and expenditure of the union, including grants, affiliations, awards and property. It also focuses on general officer and staffing issues, work stoppages and other problems that need immediate attention. The property committee is part of the finance and general purposes committee and deals with issues relating to the union's properties.
  • The management committee of the union's centres runs the T&G's convalescent/holiday centre in Eastbourne.
  • The education and international committee supervises, monitors and promotes the union's education programme. In addition, it receives reports on the union's European and international activity.