Union Support
Many workplace issues that arise can be dealt with through support from experienced chaplaincy colleagues. There are times, however, when support from someone with a clear knowledge of employment rules and experienced union support is vital.
If a member has a problem the first person they should contact is one of the Unite representatives in the trust. If he or she does not know who that is, their details should be on the Unite or Staffside notice boards or possibly on the staffside pages of the trust’s intranet.
Generally Unite representatives are likely to be found in the following areas:
Acute Trusts: Pathology, Pharmacy, Estates
Community: Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapy, Estates
Mental Health: Clinical Psychology, Estates
If the member is unable to locate a Unite representative they should contact their local regional or district office. The telephone numbers are on the union’s website unitetheunion.org and ask to speak to the officer who deals with their trust. The officer will then advise you who the rep is, or in the case there is not one, deal with the inquiry.
If the member has spoken to the rep and he or she has been unable to resolve it, the rep should refer the matter to his her regional officer for advice, support or if necessary representation.
Please note that officers will not have the capacity to attend relatively low level grievances or disciplinaries but can give advice over the telephone or email. If a member has a final stage grievance or faces a disciplinary where the outcome may be dismissal then the officer may be in a position to provide representation personally.
If a member requires legal advice then this matter will be dealt with personally by the office.
Contact the CHCC
If you’d like to get in touch with the College of Health Care Chaplains please fill in the form, or contact the Registrar at the email address below:
Members can also contact their regional representative for advice.