Fighting Fund

How to use UNISON's fighting fund

"This year, public service workers face the biggest challenge yet to their jobs, security and the public service ethos from a government pledged to massive cuts to public spending and an ideological commitment to cutting back the state," says general secretary Dave Prentis.

"Public services are under assault and our members, who provide those vital local services, face attacks on their jobs, pay and pensions."

To meet this challenge, the union has set up a fighting fund to support activity to defend public services and our members' jobs, pay and pensions.

The fund has two elements:

• the General Political Fund – for support and campaigning activity;
• the General Fighting Fund – for support and organising activity.

"The fighting fund is there to help you to support our members when they need it and to run campaigns against cuts and job losses at local level," adds Mr Prentis.

"Please use it – there's never been a more important time to show our members that the union is there for them."

The union has produced a guide to the fund, and how to bid for support from it, which can be downloaded here (pdf document).

The guide also contains application forms for the two parts of the fund.

Branches are expected to have discussed and developed applications for both sections of the fund with their regional organisers, which is then to be submitted to the region.  Please speak to your reginal organiser for more details.