Why VOtP members should join Community

In a guest blog, Voice of the Postmaster Secretary Brent Johnson outlines why postmasters should join Community Union.

You may have heard about the new partnership between Voice of the Postmaster (VotP) and Community Union. If not, you can check it out here.  

Why should VotP members join Community? 

Since the formation of VotP, besides first and foremost fair remuneration, the main issue I’ve heard from VotP members is that they want independent representation that isn’t paid for by Post Office Ltd (POL), with no conflict of interests. 

With the Transformation Plan of the network as well as changes to all postmaster contracts in the process, this is needed now more than ever. 

This is where Community Union come in. I’ve taken the time to look around at Community and discuss our needs in great detail. I find them open, progressive, and well-placed to meet postmasters needs. They already represent the interests of the self-employed sector and have a diverse membership across many sectors of the UK economy. 

With support from Community’s legal, lobbying, communication, and training, I believe every postmaster will benefit massively from this union partnership. Not only will this help VotP, but also the whole postmaster network across the UK.  

As a member of Community’s VotP branch, you will have access to: 

• Advice, support, and independent representation as a self-employed postmaster 
• Free and discounted legal services with will writing, conveyancing, family law, personal injury, and more 
• Exclusive discounts and benefits on gym memberships, holidays and high street shopping on hundreds of brands 
• Financial support when times get tough 
• Over 650 CPD-accredited courses on mental health, digital skills, languages, and much more. 

At VotP, we believe Community has postmasters at the heart of what they do. Join our postmaster branch today to benefit from the union’s representation, services, and benefits, and to stand together to fight the issues affecting postmasters.