Which union should I join as private sector worker?

[MerLOWnomore]

I'll preface this by saying I've never been in a union and don't know a huge amount about them.

I work in the private sector - a membership organisation on the comms/admin side.

I've checked on
https://www.tuc.org.uk/joinunion

They recommended Prospect, Unison or GMB. I thought Unison were only for private contractors - rather than those working for private organisations.

Can anyone recommend one over the other? My main reason for joining is should I ever require any workplace support. I have a few disabilities, not sure if that makes a difference to who I should choose.

Many thanks :)

What industry did you select on the TUC tool?

Does Comms/admin mean marketing?

I'd have thought Unite, GMB or Prospect.

My workplace doesn't recognise a specific union so I picked the one with the most resources. I've heard good and bad, but I think that's the same with any organisation.

Does your employer recognise a particular trade union? If it does then it is worth joining one that is established for bargaining rights. Check if there is a union noticeboard, or ask around if anyone else is a union member.

Hi, I selected - charity/membership/voluntary organisation.

It's a charity/membership organisation, so would that be accurate? Or should I specifically select comms/admin?

I am a union rep but for a different sector so not affiliated with Unison but looking at their website:

UNISON is the largest public sector trade union in the UK. What is a trade union? UNISON Community and Voluntary Organisations Branch represents members working in the community, voluntary and charity sectors.

Unison says: "We are a trade union that represents and acts for members working in a range of public services and utilities, whether they’re employed by private companies, public authorities or in the community and voluntary sector."

If your charity/membership organisation provides public services then you could join Unison I suppose.

If not or if your heart isn't set on Unison, then I'd read the websites of Prospect, GMB and Unite then decide which one is a better fit for you in terms of costs and membership benefits, how they structure their branches (and whether that fits with what you'd like) etc.

There is a page of Unite's disability activity/resources here if that helps you assess them: https://www.unitetheunion.org/what-we-do/equalities/sectors/disabled-members

I think this is the Prospect equivalent: https://prospect.org.uk/disability-equality-hub/

And GMB: https://www.gmb.org.uk/gmb-disabled-workers

(And Unison if you think they match whatever service your organisation provides: https://www.unison.org.uk/about/what-we-do/fairness-equality/disabled-members/ )