What are the UNISON Service Groups?

🟣 UNISON’s Service Group Executives

UNISON represents workers across many different public service sectors — and each one has its own Service Group Executive (SGE). These are the elected teams who lead the union’s work in their sector, ensuring members’ voices shape national decisions.

SGEs negotiate on pay and conditions, set priorities for their service group, and make sure issues raised in workplaces feed directly into UNISON’s national strategy. They also send representatives to the National Executive Council, giving every sector a strong voice in the union’s overall direction.

There are seven SGEs in UNISON, covering Health, Local Government, Higher Education, Police Probation and CAFCASS, Community, Water, Environment & Transport, and Energy.

For Members Together, SGEs are vital to a strong, member‑led union. They bring expertise, accountability, and a clear focus on the issues that matter most to workers.

🟣 What Do Service Groups Do?

Service Groups exist to make sure members get the specialist support they need. Their role includes:

Sector‑specific bargaining and negotiation

They lead on pay, conditions, and workplace issues within their sector, using collective bargaining to improve members’ working lives.

Expert advice and representation

Members can turn to their Service Group for confidential, sector‑specific guidance on workplace problems, grievances, or unfair treatment.

Raising issues nationally

Local concerns can be escalated through regional and national structures, helping UNISON identify patterns and campaign for change across the UK.

Democratic leadership

Each Service Group elects its own executive, which oversees national bargaining and policy for that sector. Elections take place every two years.

🟣 Why Service Groups Matter to Members Together

Members Together believes a strong, member‑led union depends on structures that genuinely reflect the experiences of workers. Service Groups are essential to this:

They ensure specialist knowledge shapes UNISON’s national priorities in every public service workplace.

They give members a direct voice in decisions that affect their sector.

They help keep UNISON focused on workplace issues, not internal politics.

By strengthening Service Groups and making them more responsive, we can build a union that delivers real change for members across every part of public services.