Case referrals during Covid-19
All of our regional offices are closed until further notice, with all staff working remotely.
CASE forms and supporting documents should be sent by email to se-newcasereferrals@unison.co.uk
No documentation should be sent by post to any regional office.
To support branches during this time, a new version of the UNISON CASE Form has been developed.
During the Covid-19 crisis, UNISON has changed it’s processes to make it easier for members to get legal support, at no extra cost.
Find out more
This is our hub for all stewards undertaking member casework across UNISON South East. Here you’ll find a wealth of support and guidance, as well as information on the various process and protocols we use in the region.
The UNISON CASE Form
It is good practice for all UNISON cases to be undertaken using our CASE form as a tool. All cases which are being referred to the region must use the CASE Form and be signed off by the branch.
Download latest version of CASE form
Referring Cases to the Region
We have developed this guide for branches with details on how and when to refer a case to the region.
All case forms being referred by branches should be emailed to se-newcasereferrals@unison.co.uk
Staff Case Leads
The region has a central case allocation system. All cases being referred to the region should be directed via that process. All branches in the region are part of either our East or West Organising Teams. Each team has a case lead/allocator; as well as allocate cases, they will normally undertake case surgeries (see below) in their team area.
Contact details for each Teams case lead/allocator are:
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East Team – Kent, Surrey & Sussex branches | Sarah McGreal 01273 544026/30, s.mcgreal@unison.co.uk
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West Team – Thames Valley, Hampshire & Isle of Wight branches | Peter Terry 02380 249105, p.terry@unison.co.uk
Member Guides
We have developed five guides for branch stewards on key areas for members and to assist you when dealing with workplace issues. These cover disciplinary action, grievances, sickness absence, collective issues and sexual orientation and the law and can be downloaded below or from the “Resources” section.
- Member guide 1: Dealing with collective issues
- Member guide 2: Grievances and hearings
- Member guide 3: Disciplinary action
- Member guide 4: Sickness absence
- Member guide 5: Sexual orientation, the workplace, and the law
- Member guide 6: Lay-offs, short-term working and redundancy
Settlement Agreements
All settlement agreements (formerly known as compromise agreements) and other termination agreements such as MARS must be sent to the Region for the necessary legal advice from Thompsons Solicitors. We have developed guidance for branches on the process.
Case Surgeries
We hold regular case surgeries in each of our geographic organising teams. West team surgeries are held on the first Wednesday of each month in Reading and on the third Wednesday of each month in Southampton.
These allow stewards to book appointments and get more detailed support and advice from an experienced case specialist. For upcoming dates, and to book a slot at one of our surgeries, please see the “Related events” feed on this page.
See all upcoming case surgeries
Employment tribunal and early conciliation protocol
When undertaking casework, stewards should always be aware of the deadline for lodging an employment tribunal (ET) claim and of triggering early conciliation.
All guidance should be read in conjunction with the latest UNISON ET Representation Scheme Protocol Guidance for Branches 2017 (issued October 2017).
Please be mindful of all deadlines as set out in the protocol. If you have any queries, please contact the Case Allocator or relevant Case Lead Regional Organiser from your branch’s team area:
