Senior occupational therapy (OT) assistant and UNISON workplace rep Tamsyn Hicks is calling on OT colleagues to complete membership forms for the West Sussex branch.
Even if they are registered as members under the RCOT (Royal College of Occupational Therapists, formerly BAOT: British Association of Occupational Therapists), they may not be registered with the branch.
She explains: “The problem is that when OTs signed up with RCOT/BAOT they became UNISON members, but that information is not always shared with local branches. Colleagues need to be registered with the branch to have support both personally and collectively.
Tamsyn Hicks, workplace rep
“I’m asking all colleagues to please complete the membership form (including OT registration number) – leaving out the direct debit section – and send it to the branch office as soon as possible.”
Chichester-based Tamsyn has been a workplace rep since November last year. “I recently completed my UNISON training to become a rep. It was all done online through interactive and self-directed learning. This was great for me, as being a part-time worker and full-time mum, it gave me the maximum flexibility to complete the course over seven weeks. I was able to link up with other reps in training, sharing and learning with them. I’d thoroughly recommend this option for anyone thinking of becoming a rep.”
Find out more about becoming a rep and the training and development opportunities that would be available to you or contact the branch for more information.