The Alliance for Finance is a

trade union federation A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national trade union center, and many have more than one. In some regions, such a ...

in the United Kingdom. The Alliance for Finance was founded in 1996 on the initiative of the

Barclays Group Staff Union {{short description, Former trade union of the United Kingdom The Barclays Group Staff Union was a trade union representing workers at Barclays Bank in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in about 1918 as the Barclays Bank Staff Association. ...

to encourage more joint campaigning and solidarity between the many

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

s and staff associations covering the

banking A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

and

financial services Financial services are the Service (economics), economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, acco ...

sector in the UK.Martin Upchurch, ''The state and 'globalization, p.132 In particular, it was felt desirable to organise joint campaigns on training and mergers. Previously, finance sector unions had a limited amount of co-operation through the Financial Services Staff Federation and Finance Sector Unions; these confederations took a back seat to the new Alliance.Gregor Gall, ''Labour unionism in the financial services sector'', pp.94-95 The Alliance's membership was initially 27 organisations, including the

Banking, Insurance and Finance Union The Banking, Insurance and Finance Union (BIFU) was a British trade union. The union was founded in 1946 as the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE), when the Bank Officers' Guild and the Scottish Bankers' Association merged. In 1979, it ...

, the Communication Workers Union,

Manufacturing, Science and Finance Manufacturing, Science and Finance (or the Manufacturing, Science and Finance Union; almost exclusively known as MSF) was a trade union in Britain. Over eighty members of Parliament (primarily members of the Labour Party) were members. Histor ...

, the

Transport and General Workers' Union The Transport and General Workers' Union (TGWU or T&G) was one of the largest general trade unions in the United Kingdom and Ireland – where it was known as the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union (ATGWU) to differentiate its ...

and

USDAW The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (Usdaw) is a trade union in the United Kingdom, consisting of around 360,000 members. Usdaw members work in a variety of occupations and industries including: shopworkers, factory and warehouse wo ...

. This quickly rose to 36 organisations, although the 1999 merger between the Banking Insurance and Finance Union, UNiFI and the

NatWest Staff Association The NatWest Staff Association (NWSA) was a trade union representing staff at the National Westminster Bank in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1969 as the National Westminster Staff Association with the merger of the National Provinci ...

began a process of consolidation, which has tended to reduce its prominence. In addition, many members have affiliated to the

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre A national trade union center (or national center or central) is a federation or confederation of trade unions in a country. Nearly every country in the world has a national tra ...

. Previous Secretaries of the Alliance for Finance have included

Digby Jacks Digby Jacks (16 May 1945 – 21 October 2011) was a British student activist and trade union official. Jacks became the President of the UK's National Union of Students in 1971, serving until 1973, and was subsequently an official for the Manufac ...

and Gwyn Bates former National Secretary of Unifi, Amicus and Unite the Union. Honorary Vice Presidents of the Alliance for Finance have included Baroness Turner of Camden and current Honorary Vice President Frank Needham former General Secretary of the in house union at National & Provincial Building Society (NAPSA). Needham was Chair of the Federation of Building Society Staff Associations from 1984 to 1987 and subsequently Vice Chair of the Financial Services Staff Federation from 1993 to 1996.

Current members

*ABRDN Staff Forum * Accord *

AEGIS The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...

Advance Advance commonly refers to: *Advance, an offensive push in sports, games, thoughts, military combat, or sexual or romantic pursuits *Advance payment for goods or services *Advance against royalties, a payment to be offset against future royalty pa ...

* Communication Workers Union * Leeds Building Society Staff Association *

Nationwide Group Staff Union The Nationwide Group Staff Union (NGSU) is an independent trade union in the United Kingdom. It has a membership of over 12,000 and represents workers within the Nationwide Building Society and its associated companies. The NGSU was formed in 1 ...

* Community Union *Phoenix Colleague Representation Forum * Vivo

External links

Official website

References

National trade union centres of the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1996 Trade unions in the United Kingdom Finance sector trade unions