Annual General Meeting 2003 Details

URGENT : BASW launches social workers ‘trade union’: Branches urged to stand firm against recognition attempts and RECRUIT!

This circular informs branches that the professional association, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has launched a trade union, the ‘Social Workers Union’. As UNISON is the trade union for social workers with over 40,000 members, we will not support attempts by BASW to gain recognition or TUC affiliation. Branches are asked to take action to prevent any attempts at local recognition, and to ensure that as many social workers as possible are recruited into UNISON.

From 1 September 2011 the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is launching a ‘trade union’.

· BASW plans to offer all its existing members the opportunity to join the union at no extra cost

· BASW plans to seek to recruit new members on the back of the new trade union which it says will mean that it can represent members in disciplinaries and grievances, where it could not before, under the ‘right to be accompanied’

· The General Secretary of the new union is Hilton Dawson – BASW’s existing Chief Executive

· BASW intends to write to employers across the UK to seek recognition for collective bargaining. However, it admits “BASW is clear that the issue of pay and conditions is an area that it will voice its opinions on, regardless of its formal status.”

As the trade union for social workers with over 40,000, UNISON views BASW’s action as hostile and divisive. We have made it quite clear to them that we will actively oppose any attempts by them to gain trade union recognition. We have tried many times in the past to secure a positive partnership with BASW which could build on our strengths as the UK’s largest public service union, and their expertise as a professional association. However, these have failed.

UNISON welcomes the development of a College of Social Work in England which can provide a strong professional voice for social work. We are actively pursuing a partnership with the College which will bring together all the workplace and professional support social workers need in a joint membership offer. We continue to urge BASW to get behind this development, rather than set up rival organisations which undermine the unity the profession needs.

Nationally we will be raising these issues with the Local Government Employers, and with the TUC. We have written to social services authorities setting out our position and discouraging them from entertaining any recognition requests from BASW, with the attached letter.

The ENCLOSED ADVICE SHEET contains advice for branches on seeing off BASW locally, and you are asked to distribute it to all appropriate stewards.

There are still large numbers of social workers who are not in a union. As well as negotiating on employment issues, UNISON is representing social workers in professional reform programmes in all 4 countries. We have a wide range of materials to help branches recruit social workers including recruitment leaflets, members guides and our UNISON workplace zone provided in partnership with leading social work trade journal Community Care www.communitycare.co.uk/UNISON. It is vital that branches step up their recruitment activity around social work.

UNISON Angus Council Branch

the public service union in Angus

UNISON Direct 0845 355 0845