how to choose a union

It's not always easy working out which union to join.

For some jobs there is only one right choice. For others there is a range of unions from which you can choose.

But there are some simple principles.

Unions are about people working together, so it always makes sense

• to join a union that your employer already formally recognises,
• or if there's no recognition agreement then to join one that has other members already working for your employer,
• or has members doing similar jobs for a similar employer

You can find out whether your employer recognises unions or is a union recruitment target (and is on our database). There are two ways:

1. you can search for it by name. But many employers have many different names, so this may not work for you
2. you can narrow down our list of employers by choosing the sector in which you work. If your own employer is not listed, then you can choose a similar one

The union finder is based on a database maintained by the independent Labour Research Department of which sectors unions cover and which employers already formally deal with unions. It can only be as good as the information unions supply. If there's a gap you can report it here.

You can also browse two lists of unions - one organised alphabetically and one by type of union.

If you are still stuck, you can email the TUC directly for advice.