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If you are not a member of a trade union you may have questions about what trade union legal services are and how to access them. If our information below does not answer your questions please contact info@thompsons.law.co.uk.
• What are trade union legal services?
• How do I access trade union legal services?
• What are the benefits of trade union membership?
• Views about Trade Union membership from
union members
Trade union legal services are legal services which you become entitled to after you join a trade union. In many cases you will not need to pay for legal services or they will be discounted because they are a benefit of your membership.
For examples of the kinds of legal services that Thompsons offers to trade union members please click on the link. However, you need to remember that each trade union offers different specific legal services.
Before you join a trade union it is always a good idea to find out what specific benefits you are entitled to as a member of that union.
If your employer formally recognises one trade union, it would be sensible to join that union. If there is no official recognition in place, you could then look to join a trade union which already has members within your workplace.
You will find a list of all the unions that are affiliated to the Trades Union Congress on the TUC website or use the TUC's Worksmart website to find out which union represents your profession/industry and whether your employer recognises unions.Once you are a trade union member get in touch with your union representative. He or she will be able to give you more guidance about gaining access to legal services through your union.
Trade unions are crucial in defending workers' jobs, pay and conditions, acting to improve working conditions. Unionised workplaces are often safer places to be and their employees are often better paid. Workers in unionised workplaces are also more likely to benefit from training and development programmes.
Visit the TUC's Worksmart website for more information.
At Thompsons Solicitors we hear from many Trade Union members after we have assisted them with a legal issue through their union scheme and the main feedback we receive is that joining their Trade Union was the best decision they could have made and that they would recommend joining a Trade Union to anyone.
One Trade Union member who had his forearm amputated in a lawn mower at work was provided with legal assistance from Thompsons Solicitors via his union scheme.
The injured man said "The pain was excruciating and it was very traumatic. Since the accident, I've had to have 11 operations and I've now been fitted with a prosthetic arm".
Thompsons Solicitors fought his case for him with the backing of his Trade Union and recovered compensation for him.
In another case, a Trade Union helped one of their members when she had a dispute with her employer.
She worked as a carer with the council providing respite care to people so that their main carers (mostly family members) could have time off. Unfortunately though, she was only classed as being "an employee" for tax purposes; therefore, the council said that she wasn't entitled to holidays.
The case was heard at a tribunal and the Trade Union member was advised that she was entitled to holidays. She said "If I was talking to someone now - even if they only worked a few hours every week, I'd tell them: 'join a union'."