BECTU, The Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union, is the independent trade union for people working in broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure, interactive media and allied areas.

Created in 2004 out of the merger of several long-standing trade unions, Community defines itself as a “modern union for the 21st century”.  It works to improve and protect the pay and working conditions of all members, provides health and safety training, funding to help workers in need, skills-re-training, as well as a range of community-based and family support schemes.

The Ecumenical Council for Corporate Responsibility (ECCR) has been campaigning for economic justice, environmental stewardship, and corporate and investor responsibility for almost 20 years.  A respected voice of expertise in the field, it produces research and reports, monitors corporate performance and lobbies company executives and Board meetings directly on specific issues.

GMB is a general, campaigning trade union with 600,000 members working in every part of the economy. One in every 32 people at work in the UK is a member of GMB and GMB is organised in 34 of the UK's biggest 50 companies.  GMB is concerned with all issues related to working life including pay, childcare, health and safety and work-life balance.

Oxfam is one of the best known international charities, fighting poverty through campaigning, development work and emergency relief.  Active in over 70 countries, Oxfam addresses poverty by focusing on issues such as health, gender equality, conflict, climate change and private sector investment.

“Large, powerful trans-national companies and corporations in particular, have an enormous impact on poor people in the developing world.  Investing far more than governments can ever deliver through overseas aid, they can create new jobs and opportunities, generate wages for buying more goods and services, and teach important new skills.

"But left unchecked, their investment can do more harm than good. Because when large international companies pay low wages, allow bad and dangerous working conditions, and neglect people’s rights – as they sometimes do – it’s much harder for people to lift themselves out of poverty.”
Oxfam website

UNISON is Britain and Europe's largest public sector union with more than 1.3 million members. UNISON campaigns and lobbies on key issues including equal pay and employment rights, safety in the workplace, as well as fuel poverty and fair trade. In 2005, UNISON launched its Capital Stewardship Programme to promote the pensions investment interests of its members. The programme supports members in joining pension fund boards, engages with companies in which members’ funds invest and promotes policies for corporate and social responsibility.

“Pensions investments are a crucial trade union issue. These investments are made up of our deferred pay and contributions – it’s all our money.  We have responsibilities for this money and the way it is invested. The current economic crisis reminds us that our future benefits are at risk if our investments are not looked after properly. We need to make sure that our money is not used anymore to do harm to the wider financial system. We want to make sure that we do not allow badly run companies to turn a blind eye to child labour, corruption, environmental damage or ignore workers rights”.
John Gray, Regional Finance Convener, Unison

Unite is Britain's largest union with two million members in every type of workplace. With a vision of respect for all, a prosperous society and healthy working environments, Unite organises campaigns and provides member services, including education, legal advice and a benevolent fund. Unite also works with trade unions around the world to confront the challenges of the globalised economy.