Click here to read our latest Community Service Group newsletter. 

UNISON’s Community Service Group gathers together all members who work for third sector employers - whether charities, in the voluntary sector, or housing associations. All of these employers are not in the public sector, but have a social purpose, rather than existing to make profits for their owners. That makes them different from normal private sector companies, as well.  Underneath the umbrella of the community group, we have three separate sector committees which try to make sure we are meeting the needs of members in housing associations, major charities, and smaller community and voluntary sector employers.  UNISON regions send delegates to these groups to make sure that the work programme is aimed at the issues that matter most to you, where you work.

Regions make sure that members can take part in deciding priorities and making sure these are delivered through forming a regional committee of reps. This enables us to bring together our members working in these areas even though most are in UNISON branches where the majority of members work in local government or health. And Community members- with the support of their branch- can also attend the annual community conference, which sets our work programme and decides on our policies on the things that matter most to members.

Welcome from UNISON North West Community service group chair Hassan Ortega

UNISON groups its members into service groups or sectors, so if you work in a housing association, a charity or not-for profit organisation you are a UNISON Community member.

Currently across the North West, our members work in over 3,600 Community organisations delivering a range of crucial services. This provides both a strength and a challenge in how we organise and support each other.

The majority of us in our service group do not benefit from sectoral bargaining on our pay or our terms and conditions and really have to fight hard to ensure we are treated fairly and are able to work in safe environments.

That's why we join a trade union so we don't have to do it alone: we can only achieve change if we work together in solidarity.

Being in a local UNISON branch provides this along with the information and support to get a fair deal at work. You may be the only trade union member in your workplace (although hopefully not for long!) but you are not isolated - support is only a phone call away in your local branch.

Our local, regional and national Community structures provide opportunities for training and development and our annual national conference is a great vehicle for networking with others in the sector to learn from their experiences of campaigns, projects and other initiatives, which have positively changed the working lives of Community members.

We look forward to meeting you - so contact your branch and get involved!

Hassan Ortega,

Chair, UNISON North West Community Service Group

Guides to bargaining in your workplace: 

1. Full list of guides: Bargaining Guides
2. Bargaining guidance around pay

Useful links (Community Service Group):

1. Link to the national community page & resources  Community | UNISON in your workplace | UNISON National
2. Link to the community conference 2022 schedule 2022 Community Conference and Seminar | Events | UNISON National
3. Community service group constitution
4. 2017 Community Service Group Annual Report
5. 2018 Community Service Group Annual Report
6. 2019 Community Service Group Annual Report
7. 2020 Community Service Group Annual Report