ATL

Being an ATL rep/contact

Thank you for becoming an active member of ATL. You are putting a face to the union in your establishment and your contribution makes a huge difference to ATL and its members.

Over 10,000 members of ATL work as ATL representatives and contacts in schools and colleges throughout the UK, providing vital information and support to colleagues. ATL works hard to support its representatives, making sure you have all the training, information and advice necessary to be effective in the role. This section of the website is designed to provide additional support and advice, including:

• the role of ATL reps

• your rights as an ATL rep

• how to get started

• the work of branches

• recruitment

• training

• resources.

The role of ATL reps and contacts

ATL reps play a variety of roles, including the following:

• being an information provider to other members in your school or college, eg by using and maintaining the union noticeboard in your workplace

• acting as the 'eyes and ears' of ATL in your workplace, eg through regular meetings with members or setting up an email group of your members

• recruiting new members into ATL membership by introducing yourself to new members of staff and encouraging them to join

• acting as a communication link between your members and ATL's structures, ie providing details of workplace or education issues to your local ATL branch secretary or ATL staff

• signposting members in your school/college to sources of information and advice within ATL

• representing members in your workplace and working with others in the ATL team, eg health and safety or union learning reps

• taking part in a regional or national training course.

At first you may undertake some but not all of the above. However, with fully accredited training under your belt, you will become more experienced and grow your role into one that is both professionally and personally rewarding.

ATL contacts focus on disseminating information. If you are an ATL contact but are interested in all aspects of the rep role, have a read through the rest of the information in this section of the website. You can also contact our organising team to find out more.

Your rights as an ATL rep

As an ATL rep, you have certain rights under employment law. You are entitled to:

• paid time off for union duties and training (see downloadable Word document outlining these rights to the right of this page in the 'see also' box)

• somewhere in your workplace to display ATL materials (ie noticeboard in staff room)

• use of school or college facilities, such as photocopying of documents to share with members, use of email and telephone calls

• the use of a room for meetings

• full access to documentation affecting you and your members, eg job descriptions, staffing structures, pay and conditions of service documents, and local authority/employment policies that are in use in your workplace.

Further information on your rights is given in our Being an ATL rep course.

Political activities

Party political independence is the keystone of ATL policy. It is therefore vital that local representatives avoid any activities that could be construed as political, ie calculated to persuade others to vote (or not to vote) for a particular party or candidate. This does not include inviting local politicians to speak at a branch meeting: ATL encourages consultation with and lobbying of local MPs. Unions are also not prevented from commenting on and criticising local or national government policy. However, great care must be taken to ensure that any ATL literature is not politically biased.

Getting started

When you become a rep for ATL, you will be registered as such on our membership database so we can make sure you get all the information you'll need. We will send you a welcome pack, which includes:

• an introductory letter with a list of ATL members in your school or college

• our guide to being a rep (a downloadable PDF of this is available in the 'see also' list to the right of this page)

• an ATL noticeboard header

• an ATL magnet for the staff room.

There are a number of things you can do to get started in your role:

1. Introduce yourself in person to your headteacher/principal as ATL rep and confirm this in writing to them (see our model letter to assist with this).

2. Make sure you have an up-to-date list of all ATL members in your workplace. A list will be sent to you in your welcome pack, with an updated list being sent to you once a year. If you want to check you have the most up-to-date list, contact our membership team on email; or tel: 0207 782 1602.

3. Introduce yourself to your local branch secretary. They can be a very good source of assistance and support. For contact details, visit our find my branch page.

4. Make sure you have the latest posters, recruitment materials, etc from ATL to display on the staff noticeboard. Many of these will be sent to you automatically. You can also check out what is available in the publications and resources section of our website (you will find a link on the home page) and you can order further supplies from ATL's publications despatch on email or tel: 0845 4500 009.

5. Finally, it is highly recommended that all reps take part in ATL's Being a rep training course.

Support from ATL

As an ATL rep, you will receive the following information and support from ATL:

• a reps' mailing nine times per year including Report magazine, newsletters and posters for use on your school or college noticeboard

• this reps toolbox section of the website, plus our website sections dedicated to help and advice and health and safety (accessible from the home page), where you'll find lots of advice on common issues, along with useful downloadable resources

• the termly Being a rep newsletter, which is full of information to support you in your role and keep you up to date with developments at ATL

• access to ATL's range of free publications and promotional materials plus specialist publications for reps on the big issues as they arise

• other resources such as factsheets covering the most commonly asked questions, model letters, etc (see resources in this section of the website)

• an email bulletin giving you urgent information, along with useful hints and tips to assist you in your role

• a two-day residential training course for representatives, based at high-quality venues around the country

• a reps' welcome pack that includes our guide to being an ATL rep (a downloadable PDF of this is available in the 'see also' list to the right of this page)

• support and local information from your branch secretary and invitations to attend meetings and share experience with other reps and members in your area

• individual email or telephone support on any aspect of the role from ATL's organising team and our member advisors.