Contributing to political activity
To take part in political activity unions have to maintain a political fund – and in UNISON you can choose whether to pay a into both the affiliated political fund (UNISON Labour Link), the Campaign Fund or neither. New members are asked whether they want to pay a nominal additional amount into one or both funds, over and above their normal subs, when they join the union.
The campaign fund
The Campaign Fund (previously the GPF) is not affiliated to any political party. The money you pay into the fund is used to support local campaigns, to give a boost to the union’s national political campaigns and pay for political advertising.
Much of the high profile political campaign work you see from UNISON is paid for by the Campaign Fund.
But it’s not just the big things the Campaign Fund supports. All sorts of national and local projects and campaigns benefit from receiving funding this way, such as anti-cuts campaigns or local campaigns against hospital closures for example.
If your branch has members in it who pay into the Campaign Fund, the branch can apply for financial support for a political campaign or activity.
A link to the application form can be found under resources below, along with the draft Operational Guidelines. These are shortly to be finalised and will help you complete an application. They reflect the changes brought about the Trade Union Act.
Political funds additional fund form