Legal
Data Protection PolicyPlease read the following policy sections to understand how your personal information will be treated. It may change from time to time, so please check back periodically.
Security of Information
GMB utilise the latest in Secure Server Technology to ensure that all personal and transactional information is protected to industry standards.
We have strict security procedures covering the storage of your information in order to prevent unauthorised access and to comply with the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. This means that sometimes we may ask you for proof of identity or for other personal information before we can process your call or enquiry further.
Privacy policy
GMB is a registered data controller under the Data Protection Act 1998.
GMB holds personal data about its members. This data is used to process your membership, provide you with information from GMB, to enable us to carry out our membership activities and to provide us with management and statistical information.
GMB primarily collects and maintains personal information so that it can carry out its functions as a trade union, provide membership services and comply with certain statutory obligations.
The personal data will be used for a range of union-based activities relating to its running. These include the maintenance of records, monitoring for equal opportunity purposes, assisting with employment disputes, ballots, injury claims and other services and benefits.
All information (updated as appropriate) will be kept throughout an individual's time as a member and for such reasonable period (and to the extent necessary) after membership as may be needed to enable the member to access any post-membership benefits.
Personal data will also be available to our employees, officers and officials (both at head office and branch regional offices) and others including agents, contractors and other service providers who are associated with the union.
From time to time we may also use, or make your personal information available to other carefully selected organisations for the purpose of marketing GMB approved/branded products and services, or for research purposes.
Where, very occasionally, GMB uses the services of these organisations, they are contractually obliged to process your data on behalf of the union as data processor and in a secure and confidential manner under our strict instructions.
We reserve the right to access and disclose individually identifiable information to enable us to comply with applicable laws and lawful government requests to operate its systems and to protect itself or its users.
By joining the union you agree to our processing of your personal information, including sensitive personal information, such as trade union membership, for the purposes outlined above.
Accessing the information we hold
Under the Data Protection Act 1998 GMB members also have the right to ask for a copy of the information the GMB holds on them - for which a small fee can be charged - and to request correction of any incorrect information held.
Requests should be made in writing to the union's Data Protection Officer:
GMB Data Protection Officer
St James Business Park
81 Linwood Road
Paisley
Scotland
PA3 3BB
GMB Website
When you access and use the GMB website, we (or third parties acting on our behalf) may collect certain information from or about you. This includes personal information you provide when you fill out an online form or send questions (for example, your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and payment details) and browsing information about your use of the GMB website (such as information about your browser type, the pages of the website that you view, the advertisements you click on, and the search terms that you enter on our website).
We use the personal information and/or browsing information we collect to maintain your GMB Membership Profile, improve this website and serve advertisements from selected partners, process any orders that you place with us, respond to any questions that you raise, for research purposes and to contact you (including by e-mail) about GMB products and services that we think may interest you.
Your use of this website signifies your consent to us collecting and using personal data about you as specified below in accordance with this policy statement. Should we choose to change these terms for any reason, the changes will be posted here so that you are always kept informed about the collection and use of your personal information, and when we disclose it.
The GMB website contains links to other websites and the GMB is not responsible for the content or the privacy policies of such other sites.
Cookies
When you visit this website we may use cookies to collect certain browsing information about your use of the GMB website (GMB Cookies). Cookies are small data files which are stored by your browser on your computer's hard drive, and details of the browsing information that GMB collects are described above. GMB has relationships with carefully selected and monitored suppliers to assist in the delivery of a high quality website. Some of these suppliers may also set cookies during your visit in order to meet contractual obligations with GMB (Supplier Cookies). Both GMB and Supplier cookies do not store any personal information relating to you or your credit cards. We also use JavaScript to speed up your online shopping experience.
You can change your browser settings to refuse or delete cookies or JavaScript but please note that, if you do, this may impair the functionality of the GMB website. As the means by which you may choose to refuse or delete cookies or JavaScript varies from browser to browser, please consult your browser's help menu for further details.
Your vote
The union treats your home address as your ballot address for all legal purposes. You can, however, nominate another address such as your workplace.
The law requires that this be done in writing. So if you want to nominate your workplace, or another address, please do so, in writing, to the GMB Membership Records department at your region (details of which can be found under the contacts section on our website).
Miscellaneous
If you have any other queries regarding any of these policies, please put them in writing to the GMB Data Protection Officer at the address shown above.