About Union Workers' Union

Union Workers' Union (UWU) was founded in 2020 by trade union professionals who recognised the need to be represented by a truly independent union.

In 2024, we officially incorporated Sisters to the Front (S2F) to combine our strength and amplify our impact. Building on S2F's foundational work, radical equality is at the absolute heart of what we do. We are fiercely committed to championing LGBT+ rights, tackling transphobia head-on, and fighting for the safety, equity, and advancement of disabled and Black workers.

As an independent trade union, we have a single, unwavering agenda: improving the terms, conditions, and workplace safety of our members. We exist to rebalance the power dynamic between trade union employers, non-independent unions, and trade union professionals. We unapologetically organise, campaign, and bargain for UWU members—and we hold our employers to the exact same standards they demand of others.
2019

Founded

42 %

2025 membership growth

8

National Executive Committee

£ 0 k

Member compensation won

Kerith Harris
President

Kerith Harris (they/them)

Bringing a rich background as a legal officer, national bargaining official, and learning organiser, Kerith is a qualified Trade Union Education Lecturer who develops rep training across multiple unions. A proud queer, Jewish, and neurodivergent trade unionist (and cat owner), Kerith views the movement as fundamental to achieving social justice. Having long championed the UWU and 'Sisters to the Front,' Kerith is dedicated to empowering union workers through robust education and independent representation.

Chris Musgrave
General Secretary

Chris Musgrave (he/him)

A founding member of the UWU, Chris is a lifelong trade unionist with over two decades of experience as a rep, negotiator, and educator. Having held senior roles across multiple national unions, Chris has led major disputes and secured key victories in pay and working conditions. Also a qualified independent financial adviser and union education tutor, Chris believes deeply that knowledge is power. Outside of fighting for workplace justice, Chris enjoys walking his two greyhounds.

The UWU National Executive Committee
National Executive Committee

About us

The NEC is the leadership body of the Union Workers Union, dedicated to championing trade union staff. Elected biennially by the membership, the NEC operates on a highly collaborative model.

Once a new committee is elected, members collectively agree upon and delegate specific roles.

To remain proactive, the NEC holds an annual away day to plan strategic priorities, develop shared skills, and build our collective strength as a group.

Ordinary Member

Barry Hutchinson (he/him)

Barry is a Registered Nurse, Solicitor, and dedicated trade unionist who joined his first union in 1978. Currently a Senior National Officer with the Royal College of Nursing, he chairs the NHS Staff Council’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group. Barry brings vast experience in employment law, healthcare, and extensive union leadership across multiple organizations. A former Justice of the Peace, he currently serves as an accredited rep and interim UWU Branch Chair at the RCN.

Ordinary Member

Marianne Quick (she/her)

A trade union worker since 2009 and founding UWU member, Marianne is a dedicated advocate for internal union integrity. She co-founded the 'Sisters to the Front' network to support women workers, and recently helped develop UWU’s Eliminating Sexual Violence Toolkit while serving on the Executive. Marianne remains fiercely committed to challenging toxic workplace cultures, structural inequalities, and pay gaps, ensuring trade union employers practice the same equity they demand externally.

Ordinary Member

Andrew Woodman

Andrew brings over 20 years of dedicated experience working for UNISON, the largest public sector trade union. As the broader trade union movement undergoes significant changes, Andrew is committed to ensuring that UNISON maintains a strong, steady voice within the Union Workers Union. Looking to the future, Andrew is proud to serve on the national executive while championing the eventual transition of leadership to the next generation of UNISON staff.

Branch Representative

Alison Smith

Coming to the trade union movement later in her career, Alison brings a wealth of diverse experience to the UWU National Executive Committee, including a background in children’s safeguarding and emergency call handling. Currently serving as a Branch Health and Safety Officer, she brings valuable grassroots perspective to senior union operations. Having enjoyed watching the UWU grow, Alison is deeply passionate about tackling worker issues and ensuring everyone receives workplace dignity and respect.

Equality

Fiona Westwood

With over three decades of activism and experience across five different unions in both regional and national roles, Fiona deeply understands the landscape of union work. A passionate advocate for equality and positive organisational culture, she recently helped shape the State of the Sector survey during her first year on the Executive. Fiona champions the UWU for its truly independent representation and brings extensive expertise in negotiation, collective action, and member organising.

National Officer (Ex Officio)

Jon Benson (he/him)

A founding member of the UWU, Jon is the operational backbone of the union, managing membership, the website, and much of the behind-the-scenes heavy lifting.

Professionally, he brings extensive experience in higher education, student recruitment, and communications. As a dedicated trade union organiser, Jon utilises his expertise in health and safety, redundancy avoidance, and employment law to provide vital workplace advice and strategic support to members.

FAQs

Check out some of our most frequently asked questions about us.
The union was founded in September 2019 by 3 union officials from different unions. The union was listed with the Certification Officer in March 2020. We are a bona fide trade union committed to advancing our members’ interests.
All workers are entitled to union support and via the union of their choice. In recent years there have been a number of successful union start-ups who offer a fresh and independent approach to trade unionism in the 21st century. Many unions require their staff to be members of the employing union, the UWU was initially created to offer these workers an independent choice. 

The UWU has a strict non-poaching policy. Unlike other unions, we actively encourage double carding and believe there are significant benefits to being a member of more than one union.

Additionally, not all union workers have a recognised trade union.

Recognition facilitates collective bargaining and this is a key function of a trade union. The UWU is actively seeking joint recognition in all union workplaces but even without recognition the UWU can represent members in individual and collective casework, enter into disputes and engage the employing and recognised unions on matters of interest to our membership. Members can also access our unrivalled training and networking opportunities. 
At the present time, we are not affiliated to either the TUC or the Labour Party. Like most unions, we have democratic processes to determine policy and affiliation. Any UWU member is able to raise a motion for affiliation but so far, members priority has been on industrial issues.
The UWU is open to working with any political party that is pro-union and shares our values on equality, social justice and advancing workers’ rights. We have informal dialogue with a number of political parties at a local and national level.

As a new employer our priority is to recognise a staff union as soon as possible. However in true trade union tradition, the bulk of our work continues to be provided through the time and talent of our members on a voluntary basis.

Building power and sharing skills. Our training is written by senior and experienced trade union workers. Our aim is to provide the gold standard of trade union training completely free to all our members, regardless of status.

UWU will support you with individual and collective workplace issues. As a listed union we are permitted to accompany members’ under the statutory right of accompaniment. We have a network of experienced regional officers, some of whom are retired who will support you to the conclusion of the employer’s internal processes. We also have a panel of top legal firms and subject to a full merits assessment we will provide representation during early collocation and employment tribunal stages.

We'll provide advice to any member, however to get representation, you must have a membership type that includes representation and where the issue occurred after joining us. In all other circumstances, representation is discretionary.

There are a number of unions that take union workers into membership. These unions aren’t truly independent as the UWU is; free from the influences of general secretaries and the usual politics. We are the only union for union workers that is genuinely independent, campaigning and member-led.

 

Union workers have the same rights to fair treatment and decent terms and conditions as any other worker. In recent years hard-fought-for terms and conditions of union workers have been under threat. The UWU will work collaboratively with any union employer or sister union to protect and advance union workers’ conditions but will robustly challenge any employer seeking to engage in bad employment practice and/or a race to the bottom.

Every union has strengths and weaknesses. Unions have different internal and external politics and priorities on which they campaign. No union is a perfect fit for its members. This is why most UWU members have memberships of other unions in addition to their UWU membership.

The union has a variety of changing and evolving campaigns. Our founding campaigns provide an insight into the values of our union. Our founding campaigns are; ‘Safe Spaces for Women Workers’, ‘End Institutional Racism’ ‘No to Transphobia’ and ‘Protect Pay and Pensions’.

We are committed to direct democracy. Each member gets an equal voice and ability to affect change. Our members meet monthly online to debate motions which are put to all members via secure online ballot.

Equality is the cornerstone of the trade union movement but unfortunately many trade union employers fall short of the standards they set for their employers. The UWU provides cross union fora organised along protected characteristic lines as safe spaces for members to self organise and build power.

Many union reps have career ambitions to take up a paid role in a trade union. There isn’t a clear or an easy route into paid union roles but our associate membership offers workers not directly employed by a trade union access to our training and networking opportunities.

Yes. We have worked with a number of union and non-union organisations to provide training. There is a cost to this and this varies depending on the individual request. Please email us to discuss further.

There are many and varied ways to help. You can join the union and get active in your workplace. The most important support you can provide is to recruit for us but we recognise contribution comes in all shapes and sizes. If you would like to help build a strong independent union, contact us for a discussion on our current projects.