Become a rep
Reps are the bedrock of our union. Prospect relies on reps to help us organise and drive positive change in workplaces.
What are reps?
Reps (sometimes called shop stewards) are members who have stepped up to be the voice of the union in the workplace.
Reps are elected and represent their members and to the employer and the wider union. They run union branches and campaign for better working conditions.
Prospect and Bectu have over 4000 amazing reps. Without their hard work, Prospect wouldn’t exist.
There are lots of different types of rep. Some get training to keep workplaces safe or represent members in formal meetings, like disciplinaries. Others focus on communications, or campaigning for more equal workplaces.
Learn more about specialist rep roles here.
All Prospect reps will:
- Listen to members’ concerns
- Organise union members to change their workplace
- Inspire colleagues to join the union and get active
- Make the union a visible presence at work
All Prospect Reps follow a Code of Conduct.
I want to become a union rep
Union reps are elected by their members or democratically appointed to meet the needs of the branch. The exact procedure should be set out in your branch or section rules.
If you’d like to get involved, the best thing to do is get is to speak to key contacts in your branch. Their contact details can be found on your branch page on the Knowledge Hub. If you aren’t sure who to contact, fill in this form.
It is not for employers to pick and choose who the representatives are (although some try!)
If you have a collective bargaining agreement between Prospect and your employer this will describe the arrangements for workplace reps, including the constituencies they represent and whether time off for performing trade union duties is permitted.
Why become a rep?
“I wanted my employer to introduce a decent workplace environmental policy; the best way to achieve this was through the union.”
An active rep can make a real difference by helping to:
- improve pay and conditions
- protect people’s rights at work
- encourage fairness in the workplace
- promote a healthy and safe work environment
- help people gain access to training and career development
- recruit and inform new members.
“Prospect helped me when I had a work-related problem. I thought maybe I could do the same for somebody else.”
What skills will you need?
conditions. Beyond that, the skills you need will depend on your role.
You can either use your existing abilities (for example if you’ve got good organisational skills, you could be an ideal branch organiser), or develop new ones through our training courses.
“It was a chance to develop new skills that would be useful to me in the wider workplace and for career development.”
There are no qualifications required. However, we would expect that all reps undertake Prospect training to develop skills and confidence.
Many reps find they develop greater confidence and expertise if they do specialist training on areas where they are required to be active (e.g. pay, pensions, personal cases).
How much of your time will it take?
There is no set amount of time – it will depend on whether you are entitled to carry out union duties during work time (often called facility time), and how much of your free time you are prepared to commit.
It will also be influenced by your level of involvement in trade union activities.
Can I be disciplined or otherwise disadvantaged by being a rep?
Provided you act professionally and are not in breach of the relevant disciplinary code/employee rules, you cannot be disciplined merely for trade union activity. Legislation is in place to protect trade union representatives from victimisation.
Many reps find that the experience they develop as a rep enhances their negotiating skills and this in turn has a positive impact on their own professional/personal development.