Notice to Members – Membership Subscriptions
27/09/2024
Colleagues,
For those amongst you who have been with the CJWUnion since the very beginning of this journey you will know we have progressed more in these past 4 years than we could have ever hoped to do. We have gained a certificate of independence and registered with the certification officer as an official union.
We now successfully employ a part time member of staff responsible for the administration and day to day running of the union, as well as two Trade Union Officials offering advice, support and representation to our membership up and down the country.
We continue to seek recognition from all the employers our members work for. We have held constructive talks with several employers, and we hope to update the membership soon on our progress.
Unfortunately, the largest employer in the sector, HMPPS, continue to deny us recognition despite our rising number of members. We have applied to HMPPS for recognition annually, however they continue to refuse to engage with us, stating they intend to continue with the current recognised unions. We will continue positive engagement with MP’s of all parties and relevant stakeholders to make our representations for recognition with HMPPS, as well as seeking statutory recognition at the appropriate time.
We have seen the rapid increase of membership because our members share the successes of the considerable number of legal cases we have won and have an unrivalled percentage of legal matters undertaken by our solicitors compared to other unions in the sector, we pride ourselves by the fact that we are able to offer what other unions cannot!
We have chosen to control our own success legally by only providing fully qualified solicitors, from Stephenson’s’ solicitors or their partners. We are extremely proud to say that in excess of 60% of our monthly subscription income is used to support our members on pertinent legal matters, predominantly on claims against the employer or against attempts to criminally convict our members. The support our legal team provides easily ‘doubles’ the legal services provided by other unions and is done so without the use of “No win, No fee”!
We are both proud and overwhelmed at the membership as a whole and cannot begin to express our gratitude towards you all, but… There is a cost!
With our success there is sacrifice for us all as members to carry.
With a significant rise in cost on legal matters, IT and some employment costs for which we will not compromise our service, we have no option but to increase the monthly subscriptions for our membership to £10 a month from 1st November 2024. This decision is one that has not been made lightly, it has been raised at executive committee meetings for the last 12 months, causing much deliberation. However, we believe the time is right to enable us to continue to deliver the optimal service to our members we as a union, we must make ourselves viable, ensuring we can sustain this union for years to come.
Thank you all for your continued faith in this CJWUnion to advise, support and represent you, our members.
Kind Regards
Executive Committee
Criminal Justice Workers Union
