Female cleaner working in a corridor

Private contractors

UNISON private contractor members include hospital cleaners, care workers, administration officers, school meals staff and call centre workers.

For more than 20 years, UNISON’s private contractors unit has been campaigning for equal pay and fair conditions for workers in private companies working in the public sector.

Our private contractor members include hospital cleaners, care workers, administration officers, school meals staff, call centre workers and many more. If you work for a private contractor that delivers public services, you are likely to be eligible to join UNISON.

We work with large employers such as Capita, Compass, Four Seasons, Interserve, ISS, Sodexo and Serco, as well as many smaller private employers.

UNISON’s Private Contractors Unit provides a co-ordinated approach to the union’s work in the private sector at a national level.

We negotiate national recognition agreements with private sector employers and support our private sector members in bargaining at a local level.

We negotiate nationally and locally to protect pay and terms and conditions. UNISON safety representatives help to ensure a safe working environment.

Women working in a call centre

About

Our private contractor members include hospital cleaners, care workers, administration officers, school meals staff and call centre workers. If you work for a private contractor that delivers public services, you are likely to be eligible to join UNISON.

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Pay and two-tier workforces

UNISON believes that our private contractor members should be paid a fair wage for the jobs they do.
We campaign for our members to receive at least the Real Living Wage and negotiate pay with private contractor employers in all sectors.

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Violence at work

In some of the sectors private contractors work in, violence at work is a serious problem. We are encouraging employers to sign our Violence at Work Charter.

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