The Co-operative Bank has taken the decision to end its partnership with UNISON later this year.
A notice informing members has been sent via U digital (to 600,000 of our members) on 31 March, and is being followed up in U magazine (to all members) between 7-14 April and UNISON InFocus (to 45,000 Activists) on 29 April.
A link of the notice is attached for ease of reference: http://www.unison.org.uk/u-dig/the-co-op-bank-and-unison.
UNISON will be required to remove all marketing, advertising or other promotional material from websites, premises (regional and branch offices), publications and communications (including email and text messages) with effect from 30 September 2015.
All Britannia Building Society website postings and old materials should be removed with immediate effect.
Only the information posted on the Co-operative Bank micro site, accessible via the UNISON website link, can be used; the information must not be modified or edited.
The partnership agreement requires that UNISON shall:
- use best endeavours to remove any marketing, advertising or other promotional material;
- obtain approval from the bnk prior to printing and publication of any material which refers to the bank or the partnership sroducts.
(‘Material’ means all printed and broadcast items, [including internet], advertisements, editorials, advertorials, press/media releases, promotional or packaging materials.)
Regions, branches and activists must comply with the above requirement in all communications.
Co Co-Operative Bank’s partnership vommunications plan and activity
The Co-operative Bank is committed to ensuring that it has effective points of contact for our members for any questions raised and will be attending UNISON’s national delegate conference but not the health conference (the bank will be attending UNISON national delegate conference in Glasgow but not the health conference as it felt that, as the relationship was ending, there was no need to attend both).
The Bank has confirmed that it is fully committed to resourcing the partnership relations and activity in the period up to the termination of the contract and the point of contact for branches will be Michelle Searle (UNISON account manager) – email: michelle.searle@cfs.coop, m: 07808609940 -who will co-ordinate (for all regions and branches) any required activity using the Co-operative Bank branch network.