Community is a trade union that represents the interests of thousands of workers and employees across the UK economy.
We negotiate on behalf of our members for better pay, policy and protections and campaign on issues that affect our members both inside and outside of work.
You can find out more about Community and the work we do here.
Yes. You have the right to:
- Choose to join or not join a union
- Belong to the union you choose, even if it’s not the one your employer usually negotiates with
- Belong to more than one union
Your employer isn’t allowed to:
- Use threats or bribery to influence your decision to join or leave a union
- Dismiss you or choose you for redundancy because of your union membership
- Treat you unfavourably because of your union membership or activities
You can find out more about your rights when joining a trade union here.
At Community Union, our fees range between £2.92 and £19.98 per month, depending on your situation.
You can pay by Direct Debit or directly via your pay. You can use our online calculator to find out how much your membership subscription will cost.
At Community, we are a modern trade union that works to protect and improve your working life and beyond.
We are led by our members and their needs. It is our priority to protect our members’ livelihoods and jobs, as well as support the communities that our members are a part of. Find out more about why Community is the union for you, here.
It is as simple as signing up to become a member either online, through a paper application form (you can request these from your Community Branch Secretary or Rep), or over the phone.
You can find out more about the various ways you can join our union here.
Our benefits and services are only available to current, paying members of the union and, like many other unions, we have a pre-existing issue policy which means that we are only able to provide support for new issues which began after the date of joining.
Being a member means you can access our help and support with any issues at work that may come up in the future, so even if we are unable to assist with your current issue, we would still highly recommend joining to ensure you are protected in the future.
Community may be able to assist with collective issues which affect more than one person in your workplace (including existing Community members).
As long as any problem or issue you want us to help with didn’t begin before you joined, then you’re protected by your Community membership.
If you have an issue that began before you joined, then we will be unable to assist on anything relating to that issue, unless it is a collective issue that is affecting existing Community members.
Some of our wider benefits need a qualifying period of membership, for instance, our Hardship Fund and Child Benefit. Furthermore, our LifeChange Benefit accrues the longer you remain a member of Community.
If you are already a member of Community and want to log into the members area you can create an online account here. Please note, you will need to activate your online account to access our member-exclusive benefits, such as Community Offers, Community Learn and apply for our Legal Services.
Absolutely. There are plenty of benefits to being an individual member of a trade union like Community, including getting access to advice and representation should you need it around bullying, mental health, contract issues and much, much more.
Furthermore, you will have access to our exclusive membership benefits such as discounts and offers, learning opportunities, legal services and financial support.
Once you’ve joined and discovered the many benefits of being a Community member, you'll definitely want to encourage your colleagues to join. If they need convincing, it’s worth knowing that employees in unionised workplaces earn 14.8% more on average than non-unionised workplaces.
100%. Whether you're an employee or worker, you have a legal right to join a trade union. Furthermore, you don’t need to tell your employer that you are a union member.
If you’re facing a grievance or disciplinary process, you are entitled to be accompanied by a trade union representative. It’s entirely up to you, and only you.
If you don’t want a Community Rep by your side, you can still get advice about your situation from our Member Service Centre over the phone or by email.
Remember, it is unlawful for your employer to mistreat you or discriminate against you for being a union member.
Yes, you should absolutely still consider joining Community, even if we're not formally recognised by your employer.
Even in workplaces where we are not recognised, you can still access our support and services, including:
- Advice, support and representation for workplace issues
- Learning opportunities
- Exclusive discounts and offers
- Legal services
- Financial support
Remember, even if Community is not currently recognised by your employer, it does not mean we won't be in the future. If enough of your colleagues join, you could collectively push for your employer to recognise Community (either voluntarily or statutory).
We are a general trade union, meaning we have thousands of members across all UK sectors and industries. While we do have larger groups of members in specific sectors, we can advise, support and represent you, no matter which sector you work in.
If you're unsure if Community has members in your workplace, or are unsure who your Branch Secretary or Reps are, get in touch.
As a general union, we can represent and support anyone, including the self-employed. We even have members who are unemployed, studying or are in retirement.
Community represents workers and employees from all sectors and industries, including education and early years, finance, health and social care, light industries, logistics, justice, custodial and immigration, steel and much more.
By having Community in your corner, you can secure more pay, better working conditions and most important of all, have a voice in your workplace.
You can find out more about why you should join Community here.
If you no longer need your Community membership, you can cancel anytime. Just email us at membership@community-tu.org or call us on 0800 389 6332.
