Branch Officers

Click on the questions below, for more information:

• Newly elected and need Initial basic training for your branch officer role?
• New to the branch officer role and never even been a rep or a steward?
• Been in the branch officer role for a while and still taking on representation work as a steward as well?
• Been in the branch officer role, done the initial basic training and want a follow on?

Newly elected and need Initial basic training for your branch officer role?

In April and May each year we schedule the initial basic training for newly elected Branch Officers (Following Annual general meetings held in branches from January to March, when most branch officers are first elected)

There is a module for most of the distinct officer roles, Secretary (and Assistant Branch Secretary) Chairperson, Treasurer, Branch Health and Safety Officer, Branch Equalities Officer (and chairs of Self Organised groups) Branch Education and Life Long Learning Co-ordinators, Branch Communication Officers, Branch Membership Officers, Labour link officers, Branch International contacts.

(Branch Welfare officer training is organised from our national office and is advertised separately)

The modules take place in Manchester usually at Arena Point but occasionally in other central venues from 9.30-4.30 each day and are one or two days long. They are non residential. But, if you have practical difficulties you may wish to stay overnight in a local hotel, your branch education coordinator should help you sort this out. There is no charge to the individual for the course and your branch should pay your travelling expenses and help you out with payments for dependent relative care should this be appropriate.

Click here for the dates of the 2009 courses and information about how to apply -link to page 2 in the catalogue

New to the branch officer role and never even been a rep or a steward?

You may find yourself elected to the post of a branch officer and you haven’t ever been a rep or a steward before. If this is the case, please consider taking one of these basic courses first before (or around the same time as) you enrol for initial basic training in your branch officer role. When you click on the options below you will see dates and locations of the forthcoming courses with details of how to apply.

• The Organising Steward – a three day non residential course (9.30-4.30 each day) gives you grounding in UNISON structure and the union’s aims and priorities, which will affect your branch officer role
   
• The Health and Safety Starter – a three day non residential course (9.30-4.30 each day) gives you a grounding in the role of the workplace health and safety rep and is particularly necessary if you are newly elected into the post of Branch Health and Safety Officer since it will be part of your job to co-ordinate the work of health and safety reps across the branch
   
• The Learning Rep – a three day non residential course (9.30-4.30 each day) outlining the tasks associated with the learning rep role – it is especially important to attend this course if you are newly elected to the post of Branch Life Long Learning Co-ordinator since it will be part of your job to co-ordinate the work of learning reps across the branch

Once you have completed one of the above courses there are initial basic training modules for most of the distinct officer roles, Secretary (and Assistant Branch Secretary) Chairperson, Treasurer, Branch Health and Safety Officer, Branch Equalities Officer (and chairs of Self Organised groups) Branch Education and Life Long Learning Co-ordinators, Branch Communication Officers, Branch Membership Officers, Labour link officers, Branch International contacts. (Branch Welfare officer training is organised from our national office and is advertised separately)

The modules take place in Manchester usually at Arena Point but occasionally in other central venues from 9.30-4.30 each day and are one or two days long. They are non residential. But, if you have practical difficulties you may wish to stay overnight in a local hotel, your branch education coordinator should help you sort this out. There is no charge to the individual for the course and your branch should pay your travelling expenses and help you out with payments for dependent relative care should this be appropriate.

Click here for the dates of the 2009 courses and information about how to apply

Been in the branch officer role for a while and still taking on representation work as a steward as well?

You may have completed all the relevant training for your branch officer role but still find yourself representing members and handling cases – remember the employment relations act of 1999 say that union activists handling cases must take refresher training every three years. If it is four years of more still you attended a UNISON course on representation then you must discuss with your colleagues in the branch how to get a local One Step Ahead course of the ground. This is UNISON’s official ‘refresher’ course currently and you should ensure the branch offers you an opportunity to attend. It is a three day course – 2 days together then a gap of 2/3 months and then a final day – click on the option below for more information…

• One Step Ahead

Been in the branch officer role, done the initial basic training and want a follow on?

If you have some experience in your branch officer role and have completed the appropriate initial basic training obviously you can look through the catalogue of courses we provide and add to your skills. There are however, four programmes particularly of interest to all branch officers irrespective of your particular role. Click on the options to find out more:

• Managing the Branch
• Organising Representation and Bargaining
• Mentoring
• Strategic Campaign Planning

Then there are specific follow on’s for particular officers:

• The Branch Secretary Development Programme
• The Branch Treasurer’s Convention