We are pleased to announce that SWU has gained formal trade union recognition with the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (HNYICB)*. This recognition gives our members a unified voice in their workplace to advocate for positive change, and it is a reflection of their employer’s commitment to support employees.
A spokesperson for HNYICB said, “Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board Social Partnership forum extends a warm welcome to SWU.”
John McGowan, SWU General Secretary, said, “I am delighted to have this formal recognition with HNYICB. SWU will be a great addition to the formal bargaining group and I look forward to hearing how this progresses.”
At SWU, we have a legal right to represent over 15,000 social worker members – individually and together regarding workplace issues – because we are an independent certified Trade Union. All of our Trade Union Officers and SWU work reps are entitled to attend disciplinaries and grievances on behalf of our members, regardless of whether we negotiate in collective bargaining.
SWU will continue to apply for bargaining recognition in other workplaces. One important action our members can do to facilitate this is to sign up as a SWU Union Contact / Workplace Representative, as representatives are required for each recognised group.
In addition, the Advice and Representation (A&R) team has developed 50+ new guidance sheets to support our social worker members across a wide range of employment law matters and on fitness to practice processes. SWU is a proud member of the General Federation of Trade Unions (GFTU) with SWU members accessing a range of free additional training and education benefits.
*The Integrated Care Board is a core member of the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, alongside NHS providers, local councils, health and care providers and voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations.