Union representatives are volunteer activists who carry out the support work that sustains the branch: recruiting, organising, campaigning and representing members.
If you are interested in becoming more active in the branch, the UCU activist training programme offers fully-funded, accredited training on being a rep and conducting casework, as well as training for specialised roles like health & safety, equality or environmental reps. Members always enjoy these courses and they are an opportunity to share experiences and gain confidence even if you haven’t been active in your union before.
Elected UCU reps have the legal right to time off from work for this training and for their union duties, and Brookes recognises this in its workload allocation framework.
As your first step, contact your Faculty rep or the branch administrator. They will help you figure out the best opportunities to help.