Covid has shown we need charity workers – and they need unions

Nobody can deny the impact and difficulties that the last year and a half has presented to all of us. But in the third sector, often working to support people in hardship, these challenges have been felt even more acutely. Through furloughs and layoffs hitting people’s finances and a rising rate of mental health crises, drug and alcohol misuse and domestic abuse during lockdowns, it has often been the charity sector that has been there picking up the pieces and keeping the country together.

Mind revealed last year that their call rates were soaring during lockdown and more people were experiencing mental health crises than ever before. Childline similarly saw a spike in calls to their crisis helpline, and the picture was replicated at Refuge, LGBT Foundation, British Liver Trust and so many more. Behind each of these rises in demands for services, already squeezed financially by a decade of cuts and austerity, is a workforce trying desperately to support as many people as possible while looking after themselves too.

The UK’s third sector, or charity sector, is a unique segment of the national workforce, driven by a highly motivated body of people often invested in the social impact of their jobs. We rely on this sector to make a significant contribution to the overall health and wellbeing of society. Many who work in this area are more willing to sacrifice financial reward and compensation for the chance to make real positive change, and are sometimes required to go beyond the call of duty to serve their cause.

But the last year has shown more than ever how those working in the third sector can benefit from being collectively organised around shared goals, values and expectations. Having passion for your work and a desire to make positive social change should not come at the expense of being treated fairly and having a healthy work-life balance. This is not a zero-sum game: having both is possible.

The charity sector is not exempt from poor work practices and after the last year burnout and overwork are increasingly common. While third sector work might be unique in terms of how the organisations generate funding and what that means for any income it makes, that does not mean the role of this vital workforce should be any less valued or that they should be paid any less.

Wage rises, good working conditions and support for staff are just as important in charities and the wider third sector as in any other sector. The presence of a trade union helps to address the collective needs of the workforce and be by the side of workers when they need support. It is unions that can advocate for employees who are suffering from burnout, who want to progress further, who want to have a decent work-life balance.

Unions are important in the third sector not just for the employees, but for employers too. A unionised workforce is a happier workforce, where issues that may otherwise go unnoticed or unrecognised are resolved before they grow much larger. A happier workforce is less likely to want to leave their job, which means their employer will get to retain their knowledge and expertise and not have to go through time-consuming recruitment processes. It can also mean that unsafe working conditions, which may seem minor but develop into something much more dangerous later on, are caught and remedied early.

It is beneficial for all third sector organisations to work in partnership with unions to ensure their workers are fairly treated and have a voice in the workplace. Our third sector workers have put their lives on the line to support people struggling and keep the country going – but things are different now. The pandemic has highlighted, in the starkest way possible, that our society was previously not operating or structured in the best way possible for us all. If we want a better working world, it won’t just appear out of nowhere. We have to make it happen and, as they so often did in the last year, we need the third sector to lead the way.