Mass Communications Request Form

Mass Communications Request Form

Mass Emails/SMS/JotForm Surveys
Please allow 72 hours for us to process your requests.
Which region is the request for?*
Regional OfficeMiddlesbrough ClusterNewcastle ClusterSheffield ClusterHumber ClusterLeeds/Bradford Cluster
Authorisation Form - SMT Authorisation Form must be uploaded. (Internal Use ONLY)

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Your Name*
Who is this mailing on behalf of? (ie Officer's name/branch contact's name, etc?)*
Your email address*
example@unitetheunion.org
If an industrial campaign, which company does this request relate to?
YesNo
We will require an up to date membership list that must include all the fields from Stratum, not just the membership numbers. Upload the membership list in the box below. The list must have been generated on the day you submit this request.*

The list must have been generated on the day you submit this request.
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Closing date of the ballot*

DayMonthYear
Date
Hour MinutesAM/PM Option
YesNo
We will require an up to date membership list that must include all the fields from Stratum, not just the membership numbers. Upload the membership list in the box below. The list must have been generated on the day you submit this request.*

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What is the branch code, workplace code or employer code that the mailing needs to be sent to?*
YesNo
Ballot guidelines state that a branch may only send materials to its members which supports a particular candidate if the branch have made a valid nomination for that candidate. This principle also applies to attachments such as PDF files of leaflets / flyers. Therefore, a branch can only attach materials for candidates they have made a nomination for.

A branch cannot (either in the body text of the message, or in any attachment) give a link (including QR code) to a website supporting candidates the branch have not nominated.
Mass emailMass SMSBoth
YesNo
I confirm I understand the above.
Activists Email/SMS - Please upload email evidence as authorisation for mass email/sms from your Regional Secretary *

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Mass Email
What date and time would you like the mass email to go out?*

DayMonthYear
Date
Hour Minutes
What is the latest date that the mass email can go out?*

DayMonthYear
Date
YesNo
Release date and time

DayMonthYear
Date
Hour MinutesAM/PM Option
What email address do you want reply emails to be sent to? (this must be an @unitetheunion.org email address)*
example@unitetheunion.org
What should the subject of the email be? (Subjects can include the members name as it can be merged so you could have something like "John, here's your Unite ballot")*
What is the body content of the email (ie the main text of the email)? Either enter it here or upload it as a word an attachment in the next question*
Use this field to upload a word document with the body copy if you did not use the box above

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Please upload any additional attachments as PDFs (eg minutes, agenda)

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Mandatory Communications
- Please read the below guidance to establish if any of the mandatory reasons apply to your request.
  
  There are certain communications that, as a trade union, we need to ensure our members receive and they are not able to opt-out of receiving. This means we can legitimately override a member’s mailing preferences and send them a communication that is classed as mandatory.
  
  Below details the different mandatory categories of communications with some guidance and examples to assist. If you want to send a mass mailing to members opted out of post and/or email that falls outside of the categories below, please raise this with your RDA and RLO to consider further. Communications categorised as “Mandatory” must not contain any promotional or campaigning material.
  
  statutory ballots or elections
  
  This covers the sending of ballot papers and essential (non-promotional or campaigning) correspondence for formal industrial action ballots or internal GS/EC trade union elections. An example of essential correspondence might be wording such as “We will be conducting a ballot next week/month regarding X/Y/Z. This will be sent to your home address. Please ensure your records are up to date by XX/XX/XXXX”. A pre-ballot data cleanse form can be sent as a mandatory communication, provided no promotional or campaign content is included.
  
  union subscription payments
  
  This covers essential (non-promotional) correspondence regarding changes to subscription payments and all compulsory direct debit correspondence.
  
  collective bargaining
  
  This covers essential (non-promotional or campaigning) correspondence providing information about collective bargaining including pay negotiations and any other prospective changes to members’ terms & conditions, invitations to union meetings regarding pay claims/T&C changes and also conducting consultative ballots on any pay deal and/or T&C changes. Recommendations on how to vote in a ballot (accept or reject) and the reasons, cannot be included in mandatory emails or SMS with voting links as it is promotional content, which means email opt-outs must be followed. Any recommendation or promotional ballot commentary, should be included on the digital ballot form or a letter embedded on the form.
  
  collective consultation
  
  This covers correspondence sent to provide affected members with information regarding a potential TUPE transfer or collective redundancy (s.188 consultations) or to invite affected members to union meetings regarding a TUPE or collective redundancy exercise.
  
  legal claims
  
  This is intended to cover the rare circumstance where we might need to send a mass mailing to members to notify them of a potential collective legal claim impacting on them (a protective award or unlawful inducement claim for example). Individual advice to members regarding legal claims is similarly permitted, but that would not involve the mass mailing system and would be in response to the member requesting advice directly.
  
  if necessary, invitations to branch or workplace meetings
  
  “necessary” invitations are invites to meetings we are obliged to notify members of under our rule book and/or associated EC guidance (e.g. branch/workplace meetings that will include GS candidate nomination, the triennial election (or by-election) of branch officials or workplace representatives and/or AGMs). Branches remain able to notify members of meetings using the branch portal/website and nothing in this note changes their ability to do so in line with rule. As explained in categories 3 and 4 above, invitations to meetings regarding collective bargaining and/or collective consultations are also classed as mandatory communications.
  
  Email to activists
  
  Emails to activists can be classed as mandatory if the email is specifically to reps/activists relating to their role/duties, the branch, the employer, workplace or sector. So, this would include things such as information about reps’ training courses, forums for reps, information specifically for branch secretaries, etc. Emails that are about membership service, political campaigns, general (non-rep) education or general (not purely rep focused) regional emails should still take account of the rep/activists’ opt-out preferences.
- YesNo
- Digital Consultative Ballots
- YesNo
- Below is the wording for the email that will be used to send the voting link.
  
  Consultative ballot standard email link text:
  
  Dear [name]
  
  We are conducting a consultative ballot regarding a proposal from your employer that involves changes to your pay and/or term & conditions.
  
  Please click here to vote and view information to help you make your choice. This link is unique to you and should not be forwarded on to anyone else.
  
  Voting closes at [time] on [date].
  
  You will not be able to cast your vote after this time.
  
  Kind regards,
- SMS
- Please consider whether this communication is essential. We are working hard to prevent members from opting out of Unite SMS communications.
  
  If we bombard members with too many unessential SMS communications, we run the risk of members opting out from any SMS communication, which means we will no longer be able to contact them for important and essential workplace communications, such as, digital consultative ballots.
- What date and time would you like the SMS to go out?*
  
  DayMonthYear
  Date
  Hour MinutesAM/PM Option
- YesNo
- Release date and time
  
  DayMonthYear
  Date
  Hour MinutesAM/PM Option
- We can attach one file as a link if this is required please upload here.
  
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- What is the SMS you would like to send? This should be 160 characters maximum in length (please note that a space counts as a character). We also have to put an unsubscribe link which means you have 124 characters.*
- JotForm
- YesNo
- YesNo
- Please provide the text for your JotForm Survey here, including any descriptions and questions. *
- If you are including a JotForm Survey in this request, please provide the JotForm number/link and also specify which fields you would like auto-populating if there are any.
- Yes
- Should be Empty:

Mass Communications Request Form

Mass Email

Mandatory Communications

Digital Consultative Ballots

SMS

JotForm