On behalf of the South Cambridge EMS Branch,
Welcome to the Unite@Arm campaign page
Below are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about our campaign
How will joining Unite help employees at Arm?
People join trade unions for a variety of reasons.
We are aware that ARM employees are dealing with issues such as –
- Excessive Working Hours
- Unpaid Overtime
- Gender Pay Gap
- A general lack of influence in the workplace
By joining together as members of Unite, we can work together to address these things and more.
Who is Unite?
Unite is one of the biggest trade unions in the UK. Its members work in all kinds of jobs, across many different industries and companies. Unite organises its members into industrial sectors.
IT, Communications and Digital workers are part of the GPM&IT Sector and within London belong to the London Digital & Tech Branch.
What does a trade union do?
A unions job is to protect the rights and improve the conditions of its members at work.
- Is your contract of employment equal?
- do you have the power to challenge things you don’t like in the workplace?,
- can you exert any meaningful influence over management by standing alone?
To change things for the better, We need to become members of UNITE!
By coming together with other workers as members of a Union, we achieve more than we do alone.
Unions support their members both individually for things such as grievance or disciplinary matters, and collectively through dialogue with management via workplace representatives elected by the members.
To engage with management collectively, a union must be recognised.
What is Union Recognition?
Union recognition is a legal status given to a trade union where it can demonstrate support from a majority of workers. This can be all or part of the national workforce or all employees on a particular site (such as Cambridge).
Recognition can either be achieved through a voluntary agreement or where the company resists through a statutory procedure.
When a union is recognised it can negotiate with management about Pay rates/bands, holiday entitlements and working hours.
It can also consult with the company about Health & Safety, Redundancy and TUPE matters and raise other issues of collective interest to employees.
Will the company or my manager be angry about me joining?
Companies and managers react in different ways to staff a joining trade union. They are often initially cautious, but this usually settles down once a more formal relationship is agreed between a company and Unite.
Remember –
- You have a legal right to join a trade union in the UK , you don’t have to tell your employer or boss you have joined.
- It is illegal to penalise or dismiss someone for joining
- Most employers belong to employers associations and act collectively to lobby government or influence outcomes within their own industries, so why shouldn’t you!
- Once recognised, having a trade union to deal with collectively can actually make relations with employees easier to manage for an employer.
How do I join Unite?
To join unite, visit www.unitetheunion.org/join-unite/
Ask a question?
If you’ve never been a member of unite (or any trade union), you probably have lots more questions about this. You can ask a question by contacting us via Facebook.
Webpage hosted by the London Digital & Tech Branch on behalf of the South Cambridge EMS Branch