Advance is a certified, independent trade union affiliated to the TUC representing workers within the bank Santander UK, the UK subsidiary of Santander Group. The union was formerly known as the Abbey National Group Union (ANGU) before it expanded to include staff of Alliance & Leicester and

Bradford & Bingley Bradford & Bingley plc was a British bank with headquarters in the West Yorkshire town of Bingley. The bank was formed in December 2000 by demutualisation of the Bradford & Bingley Building Society following a vote of the building society's mem ...

following their acquisitions by Santander. Its aims are the supporting and representing its members in all aspects of their employment.

History

The union was established in 1977 as the Abbey National Staff Association, and it received a certificate of independence the following year. In 2001 concerns were raised about whether the union was 'genuinely independent' of the Abbey National, however, following enquiries, the

Certification Officer The Trades Union Certification Officer was established in the United Kingdom by Act of Parliament in 1975. They head the Certification Office for Trade Unions and Employers' Associations. Responsibilities The Certification Officer is responsible f ...

confirmed its status without the need for a formal review. The union 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 ...

in 1998. In 1999, it changed its name to ANSA - the independent union for Abbey National Staff, and in 2002 it changed it again, becoming the "Abbey National Group Union". By 2003, it had a membership of 8,970, three-quarters women, which was more than 30% of all staff eligible to join. It was renamed "Advance" in 2009 after the acquisition of Alliance & Leicester by the Santander Group. Later in the year, the

Union for Bradford and Bingley Staff and Associated Companies {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 The Union for Bradford and Bingley Staff and Associated Companies (UBAC) was a trade union in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1977 as the Bradford and Bingley Staff Association, changing its name in 2 ...

merged with Advance after Santander bought the branches and savings business of Bradford & Bingley.

Organisation

The current

General Secretary Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

is Linda Rolph, who has led the union since 1997. It has its Head Office in Tring,

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

, with a current membership of 8,063. Of its total expenditure in 2008 of £631,230, £161,194 was spent on services to directly to members. The union organises various levels of representative, members holding 'lay positions' (i.e. unpaid, and additional to work duties). These are: Office representative; Area representative; Health & Safety representative; Lifelong Learning representative; and NEC representative.

References

External links

Official WebsiteTU Certification Office Returns
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbey National Group Union Trade unions in the United Kingdom 1977 establishments in the United Kingdom Trade unions established in 1977 Finance sector trade unions Trade unions based in Hertfordshire Trade unions affiliated with the Trades Union Congress