Unison
UNISON is the UK's largest trade union, representing over 1.3 million public sector workers across healthcare, local government, education, police, and utilities through 12 regional offices and more than 1,000 local branches, funded entirely by salary-scaled monthly member subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Unison does
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom, representing over 1.3 million members working predominantly in the public sector. Headquartered at 130 Euston Road, London, the organization operates through 12 regional offices and more than 1,000 local branches. Its membership spans healthcare, local government, education, police and justice, community services, energy, and utilities, with women comprising more than 70% of total members. UNISON negotiates on pay, terms, and conditions; provides legal representation; delivers training; and advocates on employment and public policy issues affecting its members.
The union's operational technology stack includes the MyUNISON member self-service portal, the CaseWeb case management system used to track workplace representation cases, and the UNISONdirect call centre that handles inbound member enquiries. UNISON also operates three principal subsidiaries: UNISON Croyde Bay Holiday Resort (a leisure facility), UNISON Call Centres Ltd (a dedicated telephony operation), and There For You, a welfare fund providing financial hardship grants to members in need. Its legal services are delivered through an exclusive partnership with Thompsons Solicitors, while ballot administration is handled by Civica Election Services and member communications are supported by Dot Digital.
UNISON is funded entirely through monthly member subscriptions, with fees scaled to member salary bands ranging from £1.30 to £22.50 per month. This membership-fee model means revenue is a function of member count and salary mix rather than transactional pricing. As a non-profit, surpluses are reinvested into representation, legal services, training, and member benefits. The union is led by General Secretary Andrea Egan and exerts material influence on UK public sector pay bargaining and labor policy.
Unison firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Unison
- Legal name
- UNISON
- Website
- https://unison.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- UNISON is the UK's largest trade union, representing over 1.3 million public sector workers across healthcare, local government, education, police, and utilities through 12 regional offices and more than 1,000 local branches, funded entirely by salary-scaled monthly member subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Unison is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Unison business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: UNISON generates revenue primarily through monthly membership subscriptions paid by members. Fees are calculated based on member salary, ranging from £1.30 to £22.50 per month for employed members. Additional categories include student membership at £10 per year and apprentice membership with separate rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Employed members - salary-based monthly subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Student membership |
| Subscription | Monthly | Apprentice membership |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
Unison product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UNISON is the UK's largest trade union, providing paid membership services to over 1.3 million public service workers. Its core offering is monthly membership subscriptions that entitle individuals to workplace representation, collective bargaining, free legal advice and representation, financial assistance through the There for You welfare charity, and free learning via UNISON College. Members also access discounts on learning partners and member benefits such as Croyde Bay Holiday Resort.
Product overview
UNISON is the UK's largest public service union with over 1.3 million members, offering comprehensive membership services to workers across healthcare, local government, education, police and justice, community, energy, water/environment/transport, and private contractors sectors. The organization operates as a unified membership service providing workplace representation, free legal advice, compensation assistance, financial support through the There for You welfare charity, and learning opportunities via UNISON College. Members access services through multiple channels including MyUNISON (online member portal), UNISONdirect (telephone helpline), and in-person union representation. The portfolio consists of core membership services supplemented by learning (UNISON College), welfare support (There for You), legal services, and digital self-service tools (MyUNISON).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UNISON Membership Core paid union membership providing workplace representation, collective bargaining, free legal advice, compensation assistance and member benefits to public sector workers across healthcare, local government, education, police and justice, community, energy, utilities and private contractors sectors.
- UNISON College Free learning and training programme for UNISON members and activists covering digital, workplace, life, activist, branch and specialist skills, delivered through in-person and online channels.
- MyUNISON Member Portal Online member portal allowing members to manage their membership, update details, access exclusive content and engage with UNISON campaigns and services.
- UNISONdirect Telephone Helpline Telephone helpline service available Monday to Friday 7am-11pm and Saturday 9am-4pm, providing joining assistance, membership enquiries and general member support.
- There for You UNISON's welfare charity providing grants, financial assistance and confidential advice to members facing financial difficulties.
- UNISON Legal Services Free legal advice and representation for members covering employment law, personal injury cases and criminal law related to work, with cases referred to Thompsons Solicitors.
- Croyde Bay Holiday Resort UNISON-owned holiday accommodation facility available to members as a member benefit.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1.3 million members represented
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Unison
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Unison technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Unison partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Thompsons SolicitorscoreUNISON refers cases to Thompsons Solicitors for legal advice when representing members. Member information is shared with Thompsons when applying for legal assistance and providing evidence of steps already taken.
- ADMminorADM is the mailing house that prints and sends UNISON's postal communications to members.
- Civica Election ServicescoreCivica Election Services acts as scrutineer for UNISON elections and returning office for union ballots, ensuring fair democratic processes.
- UNISON Call Centres LtdcoreThe organisation that runs the UNISONdirect call centre providing member support and enquiries.
- Union Income Benefit (UIB)minorThird-party provider of membership benefits information. UNISON shares member data with UIB if members opt in to receiving information about membership benefits from third parties.
- National Extension College (NEC)minorLearning partner offering 10% discount on all NEC courses including GCSEs, A-levels, and vocational courses, and 50% discount on functional skills courses for UNISON members.
- e-CareersminorLearning partner offering 20% discount for UNISON members on professional skills development courses including accounting, bookkeeping, cloud computing, cyber security, digital marketing, HR, Microsoft Office, networking and IT, and project management.
- University of LondonminorLearning partner offering 10% discount for union members on four distance learning courses through the Unionlearn bursary scheme.
- Campaign for LearningminorCampaign for Learning organizes Learning at Work Week annually in May. UNISON College participates with a national programme of events and supports branches to organize workplace learning activities.
- Croyde Bay Holiday ResortminorUNISON-owned holiday resort run by the union. UNISON is the data controller for bookings made at Croyde Bay Holiday Resort.
- Staff Skills Academy+minorPlatform offering over 700 CPD certified courses available to UNISON members through free licensing agreements.
- Red in The SpectrumminorExternal training provider delivering neurodiversity-inclusive workplaces seminars for UNISON North West region.
- Caroline Coghlan (CC Tutoring)minorIndependent trainer delivering Deaf awareness training for UNISON, with over 20 years experience as a Digital Complex Needs Further Education Tutor.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Unison competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Unison social profiles
Digital presenceUnison financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Unison leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Unison subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Unison funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Unison M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Unison
What does Unison do?
UNISON is the UK's largest trade union, providing paid membership services to over 1.3 million public service workers. Its core offering is monthly membership subscriptions that entitle individuals to workplace representation, collective bargaining, free legal advice and representation, financial assistance through the There for You welfare charity, and free learning via UNISON College. Members also access discounts on learning partners and member benefits such as Croyde Bay Holiday Resort.
Is Unison a public or private company?
Unison is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Unison founded?
Unison was founded in 1993. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Unison based?
Unison is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Unison make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership Subscriptions.
Does Unison have an API?
No public API is recorded for Unison.