UNISON Hertfordshire

Trade unions exist to improve the working lives of their members. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers face harassment and discrimination. It’s hard to deal with on your own. As a UNISON member you  have a voice in the UK’s largest public service union, committed to working for LGBT rights.

LGBT members organise locally and nationally to support each other, to identify and challenge discrimination, to increase awareness of LGBT rights and to campaign for change.

UNISON fights discrimination and prejudice in the workplace on behalf of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members.

We do this by building local and national groups of LGBT members, negotiating with employers and offering individual support to anyone experiencing discrimination. We also provide access to practical advice and legal information.

LGBT group priorities

UNISON’s LGBT group takes UNISON’s priorities into the LGBT community.

They are to:

• recruit LGBT workers into the union;
• encourage LGBT members to get involved;
• build our network of LGBT groups;
• support individual members;
• identify and challenge discrimination, informing the union’s negotiations with employers;
• defend and promote LGBT public services;
• campaign for equality.

How we’re organised

Branch activity: there is a growing network of branch-level LGBT groups that discuss local terms and conditions, support individual LGBT members with issues at work and debate issues affecting the LGBT community. The branch groups jointly feed into regional groups.

Regional activity: the 12 regional LGBT groups meet regularly. They represent LGBT members at a regional level, arrange training for activists campaign for LGBT equality and work with other self-organised groups and young members in UNISON. Each regional group elects two members who represent LGBT members at a national level.

National activity: there are two seats for each regional LGBT group on UNISON’s national LGBT committee, which works with the national executive council and service group executives. There are also seats for bisexual and transgender reps and for Black and disabled LGBT reps.

Black and disabled LGBT members

Because lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are just as prone to racism and disability discrimination as the rest of society, Black and disabled members meet as distinctive groups within the main LGBT group.

Bi and trans members

We organise as an LGBT group because we believe we are stronger together. But bisexual and transgender members also meet as distinctive groups within the LGBT group to make sure their issues are identified and heard.