Union Recognition

The time is right for action

We’re ready to bring trade union recognition to the FCA and PSR. We need your help to succeed.  This is our chance to establish a meaningful say in how our pay, benefits, hybrid working conditions and performance are decided. Simply put, when it comes to the decisions that matter – why just take it when we can negotiate it? It’s time for the FCA to recognise Unite. 

The Employment Rights Bill, new FCA Strategy and re-appointment of the CEO give us a critical juncture and window of opportunity to improve where we work. To succeed, we need roughly 2,500 permanent staff to sign a request for the FCA to recognise Unite the Union.

Any permanent FCA and PSR staff member can sign – you don’t need to be a trade union member to take part, and we will not disclose your participation to your employer.

It sounds like a lot, but we know this is very achievable with a real team effort. We’ve spent the last three years building the reputation, numbers and capabilities of the Branch with our members.  Now we’re ready for recognition if you are. Let us know if you’d be willing to do your bit as part of a network of advocates each reaching out to their team members asking them to sign. 

Have questions? Look here for answers!

Making our positive case for recognition

Our ask is simple: for the FCA to voluntarily recognise Unite for all job grades up-to-and-including senior managers. In practice, this means:

Recognition prioritises seeking consent and compromise to improve outcomes for everyone involved and reduce the likelihood of dispute. 

These are conditions 89% of public sector employees in the UK enjoy including at the Bank of England, Competition and Markets Authority, Information Commissioner’s Office, National Crime Agency, OFGEM, OFCOM, and so many other regulatory organisations like ours. Most of these collective bargaining arrangements are voluntary and that’s what we’re asking for here. 

This ability to draw on long-established best practice would empower staff reps here to:

Right now the organisation and senior leadership have access to multi-million Pound resources, an entire HR Department, Legal advice, and a competitive jobs market in their corner when setting your pay, terms and conditions in their favour. 

Recognition means staff get Unite the Union in their corner, the UK’s largest and best resourced union, with experienced and trained negotiators and legal advice helping you negotiate your pay, terms and conditions. This makes a real difference in balancing the scales.

Without recognition, this imbalance has had an accumulative impact over the last 10 years:

Trade union recognition offers a real opportunity to permanently change this, bringing in long-established best practice from across the public sector in deciding our pay, terms and conditions.

What’s the prize?

Independent and academic reviews on union recognition show these are achievable aims. UK workers with recognised trade unions experience many benefits, such as:

• Higher Pay – Union members earn on average 5% more than equivalent non-members, with a higher premium in the public than private sector. Unions encourage the use of more objective criteria in pay setting.
• Smaller Wage Gaps – Wage gaps in unionised jobs are lower, meaning unions have historically helped to limit wage inequality.
• Less Time Working – Unionised employees work fewer hours of unpaid overtime. Union members also tend to enjoy longer paid holiday entitlements.
• More Paid Parental Leave – Provision of parental and paid family leave rises with union membership, reflecting union bargaining power.
• Less Anxiety – Job-related anxiety that accompanies organisational change at work is also improved when in a unionised workplace and staff are involved in introducing the changes.
• Higher Satisfaction – Switching into union coverage is associated with higher satisfaction with pay and hours of work.

Help make this happen

This might be one of the most important petitions you can sign but it will take a team effort.  We’ve spent the last three years building up the Branch, including experience representing our members to HR, ExCo and the Board.  With our network of Branch Reps and recognition advocates we’ve made this a winnable campaign. The time is right and staff have every reason to be ambitious. 

The petition will be hosted by our Branch and your signature will be confidential and never disclosed to the employer. You have nothing to lose by signing. There are actions that you can take, right away and starting today:

• Sign the petition when it launches
• Reach out to each member of your team and ask them to sign it
• Come on board as a Recognition Advocate, having these 1-2-1 conversations in your wider department and networks – this will grow our reach exponentially and help us reach our signature target that much sooner
• Join Unite the Union to give you the full privileges of being a member, ensuring you have the confident and confidential backing of the UK’s largest trade union should you need it. This also means we’re able to demonstrate we have enough members in your bargaining unit, alongside our signatures, to meet the threshold conditions necessary for statutory recognition. 

Reach out to your Unite Branch Rep (find them on Pulse by searching for Unite) to discuss getting more involved or becoming a member.