Josh Henderson- Vice Chair - NHS Glasgow & Clyde CVS

Danny Phillips - UNISON Scotland Communication Officer

Trisha Hamilton - UNISON Scotland Communication Officer

Stewart Young - Lothian Health

Tom Cairney - Ayrshire & Arran Health

Debbie Fyfe - Fife LG

Linda Ferguson - Fife LG

Rose Anderson - NHS Glasgow & Clyde CVS

Sara Medel Jiminez (Black Members) - Edinburgh University

Gabby Fulton - (LGBT+ Members) - Police Staff

Frank Cairns (Disabled Members) - Housing & Care

Morag Lawrence (Retired Members) - Aberdeenshire

Dianne O'Donnell (Women's Committee) - Housing & Care

Robbie Burgess (Young Members) - NHS Glasgow & Clyde CVS

Colin Jones (Higher Education Sector) - Aberdeen

Phil Frieslick (Further Education Sector) - Further Education

Lilian Macer (Ex-officio) - Scottish Secretary

louise.noble@unisonfifehealth.org

Danny Phillips

d.phillips@unison.co.uk

Trisha Hamilton

t.hamilton@unison.co.uk

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-168/

Scotland in UNISON, No 167

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-167/

Scotland in UNISON, No 166

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-166/

Scotland in UNISON, No 165

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-165/

Scotland in UNISON, No 164

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-164/

Scotland in UNISON, No 163

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-163/

Scotland in UNISON, No 162

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-no-162-june-2023/

Scotland in UNISON, No 161

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-no-161-april-2023/

Scotland in UNISON, No 160

https://unison-scotland.org/scotland-in-unison-no-160-february-2023-2/

It focuses on presenting a positive image for the Branch. It will provide the basic skills to get you started and can be built on by future specialists courses.

·       What is your message?

·       Who are your trying target audience?

·       How and where are you going to communicate it?

·       What response are you looking for?

We will use writing skills, social media, design, digital tools, photos and best practice and show you how to apply them over different platforms.

We will also cover where you can get support and resources and the role of the Communications Committee.

The course has a lot of physical work and is delivered and supported by our communications and campaign team.

Areas covered will include:

·       approaching and developing campaign ideas

·       the steps of planning and delivering an effective campaign

·       developing core messaging, digital campaigning and social media - the power of images and videos which attract supporters and increase engagement

·       using digital tools

·       mobilising members and activists

Having basic IT skills before joining this course is an advantage and it is recommended that those without these skills attend a basic IT course in advance.

Kay will discuss, the work of her committee, how we can support Black members through our communications work, and what we can do better.

Campaigns and Communications Committee hold 2 online activists events each year. These events are open anyone who has an interest in communications – including of course branch communications officers.

Please attend if you can. They are usually great events where we share good practice, learn from each other and help build our communications network.  

There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions.

This meeting is for all UNISON activists with an interest in communications in UNISON. Whether you are part of a committee, branch or SOG. If you are developing our communications - come and join our discussion.

Communications are vital to building actions and keeping momentum in a dispute. Organising picket lines, working with the media, being creative, using social media, making it fun. These are vital to winning campaigns and disputes.

We have 3 speakers who will take 5-10 minutes each: 

• Carrie-Anne Gallacher – Glasgow Schools and nursery strikes.

• Ron Mackie – Fife local government branch

• Joe Pearce – local organiser Glasgow museums strike

Followed by short discussion.

Teams meeting 12pm (45mins) 

As the new chair of the Campaigns and Communications Committee it would be helpful to have a discussion about what more can be done to support branch communications officers – particularly those who are new to the role? 

• How can communications officers support each other more? 

• What does UNISON do at moment that you find helpful? 

• How can we improve how branches communicate with their members? 

• And what can the committee do to help facilitate this? 

Communications are vital to building actions and keeping momentum in a dispute. Organising picket lines, working with the media, being creative, using social media, making it fun. These are vital to winning campaigns and disputes.

Joining us will be guest speaker Stuart Hope from Perth & Kinross branch, who will take 10-15 minutes to tell us about the communication strategy during their ongoing pay dispute.

Followed by short discussion.

This course will help you get better at running your branch communications and campaigns and help you understand UNISON’s communication guidelines.  It will provide the basic skills to get you started so you can  build on them with more specialist courses later in the year.

The course has a lot of physical work and is delivered and supported by our communications and campaign team.

Areas covered will include:

·       approaching and developing campaign ideas

·       the steps of planning and delivering an effective campaign

·       developing core messaging, digital campaigning and social media - the power of images and videos which attract supporters and increase engagement

·       using digital tools

·       mobilising members and activists

Having basic IT skills before joining this course is an advantage and it is recommended that those without these skills attend a basic IT course in advance.

·       What is your message?

·       Who are your trying target audience?

·       How and where are you going to communicate it?

·       What response are you looking for?

We will use writing skills, social media, design, digital tools, photos and best practice and show you how to apply them over different platforms.

We will also cover where you can get support and resources and the role of the Communications Committee.

-  explaining UNISON’s policies and providing the information members need to play an active role in their union;

-  helping the branch’s recruitment and organising;

-  supporting UNISON’s national and regional campaigns;

-  creating a positive image for the branch and wider union among members, potential members and the public;

-  producing news-sheets, bulletins or digital communication for distribution to branch members;

-  making sure branch communications are in the accessible formats members need;

-  making sure that centrally and regionally produced publicity, communications and campaign materials are distributed, as appropriate, to stewards, members and non-members;

-  monitoring and liaising with local media.

We are a lay committee which oversees the campaigns and communications of the union in Scotland, but more than that it is intended for people to become involved and participate. So lay control is not just about controlling your union it is about actively participating in your union and we look for these people on the committee to develop the communications skills and to deliver some of the union’s communications.

How can UNISON members get involved?

They need to become elected to the committee and it is usually activists who are already active in communications in their branch and they are elected by the annual Scottish Council of Branches.

When do we meet?

We meet normally twice a year in person and we have activists meetings twice a year online. These are designed to allow people who are not on the committee that are interested in communications in their branch no matter what their role is in the branch to come along and join in with the committee. We have themed issues such as social media, campaigning, what we do right and what we do wrong and at other times we have branches sharing their campaigns and ideas with others because often great ideas come from branches but they stay in branches and the rest of us don’t get to hear about them.

What is so important about communication in UNISON?

Well it is everything really. If a union doesn’t communicate and we don’t communicate with each other we can’t run our own democracy, we can’t have our campaigns, people don’t know what’s going on, we can’t educate people and we can’t build for the kind of solidarity that’s needed to face the challenges we are certainly facing at the moment.

For example, if you link your Facebook profile to your employer, you could be disciplined for bringing the company into disrepute for posts you comment, share or are even just tagged into.

·       If you are commenting or communicating on your employers Facebook, twitter accounts, etc. Please ensure you follow this simple guidance to protect your employment:

·       Remember social media can be seen as an extension of the workplace.

·       You can still be disciplined for something you post on social media.

·       Don’t engage in arguments on social media, even if it is a closed group.

·       Don’t state where you work on Facebook, Twitter, etc.

·       Ensure you delete any historic posts that your employer could deem inappropriate.

·       Don’t criticise your employer or other staff on public websites or social media posts – speak to your manager.

·       Don’t mention your employer when commenting on posts or tweets.

·       Closed groups are still covered by social media and disciplinary policies and you should still use the guidance above when commenting in these groups.

We were delighted that Karren Morrison from Forth Valley NHS Branch agreed to come and brief us on her very successful Serco campaign. Her media, communications, ballots and industrial action forced Serco to back down on plans to move staff from weekly to monthly pay.

Thanks to everyone who came along and heard about the campaign.

As Chair, I’m so proud to have been part of such an energising event that celebrated the creativity, skills and solidarity behind union communications.

From Friday’s hilarious and insightful session with comedian Marc Jennings to Saturday’s powerful workshops, every part of the weekend brought something special:

“Show, Don’t Tell” with novelist & UNISON organiser Wendy Hudson explored how creative writing can connect emotionally and powerfully.

Empowering Union Voices with AI with Colin Jones showed us how accessible AI tools can support everyday comms work – no tech skills required.

Campaigning with Social Media with Greig Kelbie gave us real-world lessons from the successful Serco fightback.

Investigative Journalism with Karin Goodwin of The Ferret equipped us to dig deeper, ask tough questions and tell truth to power.

We were also delighted to be joined by Welcome Enoch from Black Scottish Adventurers, whose joyful and positive storytelling on social media shows the true power of community, nature and visibility (even if it means jumping into freezing lochs!).

And our panel, Public Services: The Heart of a Fairer Scotland, sparked important conversations on the future we’re fighting for – thank you to Kay Sillars (UNISON), Ruth Boyle (Poverty Alliance) and Karin Goodwin (The Ferret) for your insights and passion.

Special thank you to UNISON’s General Secretary Christina McAnea and Scottish Secretary Lilian Macer for coming along to support the event.

Thank you to everyone who took part and brought such brilliant energy. Let’s take everything we’ve learned and keep building powerful, creative union comms together.

Our communication activists event, explored how artificial intelligence (Al) can be a practical and empowering tool for trade union communications.

Following its popularity at our recent CommsFest, this session aimed to help even more activists discover how Al car support, strengthen and simplify their communications work.

This session was led by Colin Jones, a UNISON activist and member of UNISON's communications and campaigns committee, who shared hands-on ways Al can make your union voice stronger and more effective.

Well attended, with lots of positive conversations about our communications work and plans for the future. Plenty of ideas to take forward — and we’re already looking forward to the next session 💜💚

We were pleased to be joined by UNISON Scotland Regional Manager Simon MacFarlane, who spoke about the importance of campaigning against the far right and shared insights from the UK working group and ongoing research.

If you’re a comms activist and would like to stay involved, please get in touch to be added to our distribution list for future events.

A huge thank you as well to Stephen Low, UNISON Policy Officer, for an insightful session looking ahead to the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections and what they could mean for our members, public services and trade unions across Scotland.

Building on the success of the UNISON Scotland Manifesto and Influencer briefings, today’s discussion gave plenty of food for thought and some really valuable conversations.

Thanks again to everyone who joined us 💜💚

This course will help you get better at running your branch communications and campaigns and help you understand UNISON’s communication guidelines.  It will provide the basic skills to get you started so you can  build on them with more specialist courses later in the year.

It was great to see so many activists taking part in our introduction to Canva and exploring how it can help create engaging communications for members.

A special thank you to Jan Plazalski, Area Organiser at UNISON Scotland, for delivering such an informative and practical session and sharing lots of useful tips and ideas.

We'll be back on Tuesday 21st July when Gillian Bannatyne, Regional Organiser, joins us to discuss the West Dunbartonshire strike. We hope to see you there! 💜💚

Following the huge success of UNISON Scotland’s first-ever #CommsFest, we are delighted to announce that CommsFest is back for 2026!

Last year brought together activists from across Scotland for an inspiring weekend celebrating the creativity, skills and solidarity that sit at the heart of great union communications.

From storytelling and social media campaigning, to AI, investigative journalism and finding new ways to amplify our members’ voices — CommsFest showed the incredible power of effective communications in building our union and winning for members.

We heard from fantastic speakers, shared ideas, learned new skills and, most importantly, connected with other activists who are passionate about making our message stronger.

Now we’re ready to do it all again.

📅 Save the Date: Friday 4^th September – Saturday 5^th September

📍 Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow

Whether you create branch newsletters, run social media pages, design graphics, write articles, support campaigns or simply want to learn more — CommsFest is for you.

More details, speakers and registration information will follow soon… but for now, get the date in your diary!

We can’t wait to welcome you back for another weekend of creativity, campaigning and comms.

In solidarity,

Louise Noble

Chair, UNISON Scotland Communications & Campaigns Committee

It was fantastic to see so many branch communicators and activists coming together to share ideas and learn from one another.

A special thank you to Gillian Bannatyne, UNISON Regional Organiser, for delivering an insightful session on the West Dunbartonshire Council schools strike. Hearing about the organising, campaigning and communications behind the dispute provided valuable lessons that branches can take away and apply in their own work.

Thanks again to everyone who attended and contributed to the discussion. We look forward to seeing you at the next CommsHour.