Community Union Anmeldelser 128

My family member has been a Community Union member for over 7 years now. Initially she was happy with the support she received from the Union, however this had changed in the last few years. 3 times the Union supported her in making Employment Tribunal claims against her former employer. 3 times the Union withdrew their support or threatened to withdraw it if she didn't agree to settle her cases via settlement agreement. The Union even signed on her behalf a Settlement agreement which didn't protect her rights, but only those on her former employer. Which employer then breached the settlement agreement, but was difficult to be held to account because the Union failed to protect my family members rights and signed a settlement agreement which was protecting only the other side's rights.

Complaint was submitted by my family member against the Head of Legal of Community Union, who appeared to be looking for various reasons just to withdraw the Union's support (and eventually did) towards her.

Subject access request was submitted to Community Union asking for all the data the Union held on their system about my family member. Initially this was rejected by the Head of Legal claiming the request was not valid, but it was later on progressed (after a few months wait). Upon receipt, we discovered from the email correspondence that her complaint against the Head of Legal was initially looked at by the Assistant General Secretary, who asked the Head of Legal to submit a report in respect of the complaint made against him and based on the information in this report (and not on own investigation), the Assistant GS sent an outcome letter to my family member with his findings. No independent investigation carried out, just "findings" based on the Head of Legal version of events.

The same complaint against the Head of Legal was then escalated to the General Secretary, who (allegedly) sent a couple of letters/ emails to my family member. When we received the SAR response (copy of all the data the Union had on file about my family member), we discovered an email exchange in which the General Secretary was asking the Head of Legal to draft a complaint response on his behalf in respect of the Complaint my family member submitted against the Head of Legal! Then The Head of Legal drafted a response to the Complaint made against him and then this response was sent to my family member claiming to be sent on behalf of the General Secretary. The General secretary who claimed they take every complaint made against the Union very seriously and will investigate promptly, was the same person who wasn't bothered to deal with the Complaint brought to his attention! Eventually the complaint against the Head of Legal brought to GS attention, was dealt with and responded by the Head of Legal. The subject of the complaint was the same person who responded to the Complaint made against him!

We only found out about this once we received a copy of the data the Union held about my family member, which included copies of emails various Community Union member exchanged about her.

Speaking about personal data, for any reason CU sent us loads of personal data in respect of other Union members too. This data revealed that othe Union members also complained against the Head of Legal and also allegedly received responses to their Complaints by the General Secretary. Which responses were again drafted not by the General secretary himself, but the subject of the Complaint- the Head of Legal. So it looks like you won't get anywhere with your complaints as even if you complain against the Head of Legal, it will be him responding to your complaint.

Also, in the data that Community Union sent to us, we noticed that there are number of other Community Union members who had a very similar experience to the one my family member had. The Union supported them in submitting an Employment Tribunal claim, then withdrew the support towards them claiming there are no reasonable prospects of winning the claim. Or the Union referred the matter to their panel firm who assessed the merits of success and the concluded there are no reasonable prospects of winning the Tribunal case. Which happened to my family member and when she obtained an Independent Legal advice, she was told her chances of winning are significantly reduced due to the Community Union's failures, however she still got over 50% chances of winning, therefore the Union was supposed to support her claim.

Numerous emails were since then sent to the Head of Legal, the General Secretary and the Assistant GS asking to explain why my family member was lied to, asking how come the person she complained against (the head of legal) is the same person responding to her complaint. We never received a response.

I would like to thank Katie Alan and Andy page-smith for there outstanding work, I had a on going situation at work for 9 months that was very stressful for me, these 2 lovely people got me though it , very supportive,very understanding and very professional. I can not thank them enough. If it wasn't for them I probably would of given up.

The worst experience ever. Needed help with a probation interview. Where I was told that if you already had a target on your back it’s not worth fighting it. Even though they lied about what I said in the interview and had phone records. Don’t waste your money on this union.

Absolutely dire union.

Three times I requested support for simple employment rights questions and was ignored. Questions seem to go to their service centre and then disappear. No one got back to me either and I had to resort to ACAs for support. Which was sorted out in less than a day.

I also asked for the complaints procedure three times and this was also ignored. They then cancelled my membership, without following their own complaints procedure.

This was after me being a paid member for over a year.

Looking at the other reviews and the responses, it seems their happy taking dental nurses payments, but not actually supporting them or any other members with such simple employment rights questions.

What ever community's response to this review will be, I will be happy to post evidence of this and the email chains asking the service centre for the complaints procedure and them rescinding my membership without following their own procedures.

I had the privilege to had alongside Letitia McCalla and being directly supported by her during a recent disciplinary hearing, and I can say without hesitation that she is an outstanding representative of the Community Trade Union.

Letitia brings a rare combination of professionalism, empathy, and deep knowledge of employment procedures to her work. During the disciplinary hearing, her support was invaluable. She was not only thoroughly prepared and well-versed in the relevant policies and processes, but also calm, focused, and highly articulate when presenting key points. Her ability to clearly communicate the facts while advocating firmly yet respectfully made a significant impact on the tone and outcome of the meeting.

What truly sets Letitia apart is her people-first approach. She offered unwavering support throughout what was a very stressful time, ensuring I felt heard, understood, and not alone. At the same time, I’ve seen her extend that same level of care and diligence to others, always advocating with integrity and a strong sense of justice.

Whether she’s representing a member, collaborating with colleagues, or engaging with management, Letitia consistently demonstrates fairness, courage, and compassion. She embodies the values of the Community Trade Union and is a true asset to anyone fortunate enough to work with her.

I wholeheartedly recommend Letitia for any future representation or leadership roles—she leads by example and makes a real difference.

Every time I’ve needed help it’s always been given, they go above and beyond to help you, big shout out to Daniel Warren, thank you so much!

My union rep Letitia was amazing in giving me the help I needed at work.
I couldn’t recommend union service enough as they have helped me gain my career back.
Thank you very much!

Fahima has been professional and a supportive from start to finish. I would highly recommend.

Fahima, Gavin and the Community team helped me out so much during an unfair dismissal case when I was made redundant from a former job. They turned a very stressful, lopsided situation into a decent and fair outcome and helped me feel supported and like my voice mattered in a situation when I had felt very unfairly treated. Cannot recommend enough. Support Unions!

Tracy has been an outstanding union representative, consistently demonstrating her commitment to supporting the needs of myself and my issue.
She takes the time to listen attentively to my concerns, ensuring that i felt heard and valued.

Tracy is always available, whether by phone, email, or in person, making it easy to reach out whenever I had questions or needed help. Her friendly and approachable nature put me at ease, making it comfortable for me to discuss my issues.

In addition to her availability, Tracy has a deep understanding of our rights and benefits as union members.

From beginning to end Tracy and Fahima were extremely friendly and polite. They guided me though a process which I wouldn’t have been able to do alone and helped me get a fair outcome. I’m forever grateful for their help and would highly recommend Community Union

Comunity Union made what was a difficult time much easier. Katie Allen in particular made the whole process much easier by being easy to talk to and actioning things promptly. She even spoke to me on her day off! Which was much appreciated! Fahima Mohidin also was a great help, easy to talk to and did the job quickly.

A great union to be part of!

Community TU helped me massively during a real toxic time at my work place that lastedthe best part of 3 years, helped me reach a settlement. What was a really difficult time for me they helped by sending out comms on my behalf and getting the whole unsavoury chapter concluded so I could seek a new post. Katie and the team were fantastic and I really appreciated their support and help! Would recommend this TU to anyone. Thanks Community TU once again!

Katie Allen was of great help and support at a very challenging time with my employer. She acted with kindness and is a true ally for employees.

really helpful, was there to support and explain my options when trouble happened with work. 10/10 recommend. For £8 a month you get all the help and peace of mind it is to have your union have your back.

Katie Allan was a fantastic support for me and other colleagues placed at risk of redundancy. Having her expert support and advice throughout the process was a godsend, and made the difficult experience much more bearable. I am now telling everyone I know to join a union as it's a lifesaver when you need it, and I can't thank Katie enough!

Delighted with the advice and support I had from Katie Allan through my redundancy consultation. The monthly membership fee is a small price to pay for this professional service when it might unfortunately be needed.

Years of membership and paying fees. I quit because I had the feeling I have no say in what's going on with my pay due to rep incompetence or simply lack interest in workers problems. Joined again being convinced by the other members. I had a pay dispute with my company and decided to raise few other problems with unfair treatment that layered over the years. CU basically told me, they won't help because I just joined. Completely ignored years of contribution.
Pointless paying them all these years.
Edit: this was happening through my membership, which I clearly stated in the emails. Obviously you aren't interested in trying to understand the case.

The Community Union is an outstanding union, and I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to Sati Bhachu, an exceptional Associate CIPD at Community Trade Union.

Sati’s professionalism, experience, and dedication truly stood out as she supported me through a formal investigation related to a professional allegation. At every step, she remained calm, composed, and incredibly patient, offering advice that was not only logical but also clearly articulated and easy to follow.

Thanks to Sati’s unwavering support, I was able to approach a very difficult situation with clarity and confidence. Her guidance was consistent, well-informed, and reassuring throughout a true reflection of her expertise and commitment to those she represents.

I am sincerely grateful for her tireless efforts and advocacy. Her support made all the difference, and I cannot thank her enough.

Community Union recently helped me in my disciplinary, I was advised I could get a final written warning but after the hearing the decision was that I don't even get a warning on my record as they felt it was more of a company issue rather than just me. What a result !. John was really supportive before my hearing & having him there during the hearing gave me so much confidence to fight my corner.