Planting seeds, growing branches

A hub for members in new branches and unrecognised workplaces,
with resources for growing the union.

Trade Unions are your voice in the workplace. The more members you have, the stronger you are.

This page is designed for members in workplaces without many members or without an established branch (we call these “greenfield” sites).

It will give you the tools to help grow a union branch, choose campaigns and push for union recognition.

Setting up a branch

Unions operate through branches based in your workplace. Branches are groups of members who meet, make decisions and act together for change.

You need 21 members to form a branch.

People join unions that are active and clearly make change at work. Energetic, strong union branches inspire members and put them at the heart of decision making.

We call the process of engaging members, campaigning and winning “organising”.

Resources to help you build your branch

Tell us you want to get active or contact your local organiser.
Sign up for our training course; Building Power at Work
Find more support materials
Recruitment and organising checklist
Reps Training Pathway

Union recognition

Unions almost always campaign for ‘recognition’ – that is, for an employer to agree that the union represents staff collectively in a particular workplace, or for a group of workers.

‘Recognised’ unions have a lot of power. In some workplaces, unions negotiate on many different decisions – from redundancies and restructures, changes to contracts to installing a new coffee machine in the break room. This is called ‘collective bargaining’.

If an employer does not agree to recognise the union, there is a legal route which can support members to achieve recognition.

The new Employment Rights Act has made campaigning for recognition much easier. We will publish more about how to use new union rights in due course.

Greenfield training

Prospect’s National Organising Unit (NOU) runs complementary training to run alongside the resource materials. Anyone wishing to attend training should email [email protected]. The training runs up to five sessions (approx. 1hr each). A dedicated NOU organiser will provide the training, so you can chat directly about your branch needs and what timescales work for you.

Find out more

To campaign for recognition, you need a strong union made up of active and engaged members.

Resources to help you campaign for recognition:

Building Power at Work – Training

Organising is a skill. Prospect’s “Building Power at Work” is designed to give you the tools you need to start growing the union in your workplace.

The course runs over a full day.

To book training, contact the National Organising Unit (NOU)

Support materials

To help you increase the visibility of the union within your workplace, we have tools and resources to guide you in engaging with potential members:

To accompany your role as a rep once you have recognition: