Northern TUC Union Rep Awards 2013

Trade union reps are the unsung heroes making a real difference for workers throughout the country every single day. For most reps the daily experience is one of suspicion and mistrust from management, members only speak to them when there's a problem, and people outside of the workplace generally have little knowledge of what union reps do!

Yet:

Union reps solve problems for workers every day, from the smallest grievance at work to major strategic issues involving industrial reorganisation to public sector reform, tackling inequality and discrimination, protecting workers' rights, negotiating flexible working and more.

Union Safety reps, literally, make the workplace twice as safe as it would be with the work that they do, identifying hazards, assessing risks and 'encouraging' employers to tackle safety issues. Safety reps save lives and save employers millions!

More Union Learning Reps each year are enabling workers who have had no training for generations to access learning, at work, supporting workers and negotiating with employers. ULRs are helping workers to reach opportunities that were previously well beyond their reach, in this region, over 50% of workers supported by ULRs go on to do formal training and gain qualifications they never expected at all levels, from Skills for Life to higher level skills.

The Northern TUC union rep awards are a bi-ennial recognition of that contribution and a chance to highlight this invaluable difference that reps make to people at work every day. Nomination forms can be downloaded below:

Union Rep http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/461/Terry Rodgers Award.doc

Health & Safety Rep http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/462/H&S Award.doc

Union Learning Rep http://www.tuc.org.uk/tucfiles/463/ULR Award.doc

Please note that all nominations need to be signed off by the appropriate regional officer in your union. Closing date for nominations is Friday 25^th January 2013.

Yours sincerely

Kevin Rowan

Regional Secretary