UNISON is the UK's biggest trade union with about 1.3 million members and was formed in 1993 as a result of the merger of its three constituent unions, National Union of Public Employees (NUPE), National Association of Local Government Officers (NALGO) and the Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE).

UNISON members are people working in the public services, for private contractors providing public services and the essential utilities. They include manual and white collar staff working full or part time in local authorities, the NHS, colleges and schools, the electricity, gas and water industries, transport and the voluntary sector.

Most people join a union because they want protection at work - help with pay and conditions of service, legal or health and safety advice or representation in case things go wrong at work. That's what we're here for. UNISON negotiates on pay and working conditions at every level - local, regional and national. But we also do a lot more. Being a UNISON member gives you a range of benefits and unbeatable deals.

Anyone can face problems at work sometimes but if you are a member of UNISON, you don't have to face them alone. We can provide advice or representation on things like pay, rotas, leave and sickness procedures. We are also there to help you make sure your workplace is healthy and safe, support you in case of disciplinary action, dismissals or redundancy

The first point of contact are local stewards. They are volunteers and play a vital role in recruiting new members and organising your branch. If you have a problem, talk to your local steward. If they can't handle the problem on their own, they can talk to other branch officers or full time union experts on your behalf.

Every member of UNISON belongs to a local branch, which is made up of people working for the same employer.

UNISON has a clear structure to make sure that all members can have their say. The union is divided into 13 regions. Each branch is assigned a regional officer from the region.

Within the national and regional structure the union is also split up into service groups. The two biggest service groups are local government and health. Higher education is the third biggest. The other main service groups are, Voluntary Sector, Police Support Staff, Business and Environment (Water, Gas & Electricity), Further Education, Schools and Education Authorities.

Within the branch, regional and national structure there also exists a parallel self organised structure which although independent must abide by the rules and regulations of the union.

The annual National UNISON conference is the sovereign body of the union and every branch can elect delegates to attend. Decisions are made by the submission of motions before the conference and a show of hands. Where the vote is close, card votes take place and every delegate is allowed to submit the total or part membership figure of their branch in favour or against a motion.