Introduction to being a rep

Being a TSSA rep

Workplace reps make a huge difference to the lives of working people across the industries we organise in. You will usually be the first point of contact for members who need help or information. Working alongside other members, you are ideally placed to respond quickly to their needs and are more likely than anyone else to understand their views and to communicate them effectively.

The key areas of reps' work includes:

Recruiting

recruiting new members
retaining existing members

Organising

workplace mapping
keeping members informed and involved
integrating organising and recruitment activities
working with your branch

Communicating

providing important information for members
making meetings work
effective written communication

Representing

respecting confidentiality
representing individuals
dealing with grievances and disciplinaries

You may also be involved in negotiations with management, attend bargaining meetings, and work with full time TSSA officials on changes to or the creation of new workplace policies and procedures.

Types of rep

There are three principal types of rep: company-level reps, local level reps, and health and safety reps.

Company level reps
They do the day-to-day work of negotiating with management and talking to members specifically in relation to company-wide issues like pay and conditions.

Local level reps
There are more local reps than other reps. They do the day-to-day work of liaising with management and talking to members, but in relation to local issues only.

Certified reps
Company-level and local reps who have undergone specific training are known as certified reps. This means that they have been approved by TSSA officers to undertake certain tasks such as representing members during disciplinary and grievance cases.

Health and safety reps
Health and safety reps have specific rights and duties under health and safety legislation and play an important role in the workplace.

As well as these three main categories, there are additional specialist reps including:

trained pensions reps, or pensions champions, who represent members’ pension interests
learning reps (ULRs) with specific legal rights allowing them to organise around promoting, supporting, and even initiating, professional & personal development for members both within and outwith the immediate workplace.
equality reps, who promote equality, diversity and inclusion in workplaces, feeding back information on this subject area to TSSA and ensuring that EDI is firmly on the agenda during negotiations.