Your Mate Union

Your Mate Union: representation for workers across the UK

Your Mate Union presents itself as a next-generation trade union aimed at today's workforce. Its stated scope covers members in all businesses and sectors, whether they work for large or small employers, and it says it supports members in every corner of the UK. The organisation describes itself as the fastest-growing trade union in the UK, a claim that comes from its own presentation rather than from an independent source.

The central commitment it advertises is immediate representation with no qualifying period, alongside support for ongoing employment issues and help in organising collective pay bargaining. It also frames part of its purpose as protecting workers from what it calls unethical employers and bad bosses.

Advice organised around specific workplace problems

The union structures its help section around concrete situations that members may face. Each topic is presented as a route to obtain help and advice:

• Bullying at work
• Harassment at work
• Workplace disciplinaries
• Discrimination at work
• Workplace safety and health and safety concerns
• Pregnancy rights
• Working from home
• Stress at work
• Unfair dismissal
• Wages and pension rights
• Redundancy rights
• Workplace grievances

Beyond individual cases, the organisation states that it can help members organise their local workplace and negotiate pay and conditions with their employer.

Staff, activists and the case for joining

Your Mate Union says it relies on highly trained staff and activists who understand workers' rights and the limits of what employers are permitted to do. Its argument for membership rests on the volume of workplace problems it says occur daily, including discrimination, bullying, harassment and changes to working hours and pay, and on the need for specialist employment advice and practical support when those situations arise.

How enquiries are handled

The union explains that, because of the high volume of cases it receives, it does not take incoming calls directly. Enquiries are handled through a call-back system: callers leave their name, a contact number and a brief summary of the issue, and the message is logged, prioritised and assigned to a representative. Matters that are urgent, such as a disciplinary hearing or a dismissal due in the coming days, are asked to be flagged as such in the message.

Registration and contact details

Your Mate Union, together with its trading subsidiary Your Mate Ltd, is registered in England and Wales under company number 13917204. The registered address is 128 City Road, London, EC1V 2NX. General enquiries go to enquiries@yourmate.org.uk, and a separate membership address, membership@yourmate.org.uk, is listed for membership matters. The telephone number published for the union is 0333 2423 526.