But of course it is also about tech, and about unions developing a new relationship with it.

Tech systems shape what unions are able to do every day. And just as importantly, what they are unable to do.

Systems quietly define what’s possible

Membership systems, finance tools, document management, websites and comms platforms form the underlying machinery of the union. Members never see these systems directly. But they experience the consequences of how well, or how poorly, they work.

When unions struggle to meet members’ expectations, it’s often not because they lack commitment or good ideas. It’s rather because existing systems make some things easy, and others unreasonably hard.

That shows up in familiar ways:

• when joining works smoothly, but follow‑up is slow or inconsistent
• when data exists, but can’t be accessed by the people who need it
• when staff and reps rely on unofficial workarounds to get things done

In each case, the limitation isn’t effort or intent. It’s capacity shaped by infrastructure decisions. Often that’s from decisions made many years earlier, under very different conditions.

Digitisation is an investment plan, not a purchase

One of the clearest lessons from unions undertaking major system changes is that digitisation can’t just be approached as a one‑off purchase.

New systems bring ongoing costs that will often scale as we get more use (and return) from them:

• licences or subscriptions
• training and support
• integration with other tools
• additional overheads for security
• time spent adjusting processes and ways of working

Focusing only on the initial price of technology risks underestimating both the effort required and the benefits available.

Conversely, avoiding investment altogether often leaves unions paying a different price: in wasted staff time, duplicated work, fragile processes and missed opportunities to serve members better.

Union leaders need to understand investment in technology in terms of return and opportunity. That means a greater focus on siting tech investments within the union’s overall strategic plan. And on evaluating progress and the potential further returns from further development.

Aging systems create hidden risks

A number of unions have systems that still function, but only just. These systems might:

• depend on tacit knowledge held by one or two people in the union, or at the supplier
• require manual intervention to correct errors
• struggle to cope with changing scale of demand

The risk here isn’t just technical failure. It’s organisational vulnerability. When systems are brittle, changes become harder, and the cost of doing nothing quietly builds up over time.

Large system projects can feel daunting. But in many cases, deferring decisions doesn’t freeze the problem, it compounds it.

There’s an opportunity cost in systems that were rigidly designed to fit the way the union worked a decade or more ago. They work fine until the union tries to extend a process into new areas, or adapt to entirely new ways of working, at which point they increase the friction to change.  

Modern systems change how unions can work

Moving to newer systems isn’t simply about replacing old tools with faster or more reliable versions.

We’ve seen many unions in recent years move towards cloud platforms – also called Software as a Service (SaaS) – where the union rents tools and infrastructure rather than buying them.

This is a big shift in approach, but it has some big potential benefits. A new generation of more flexible and connected tech tools can change how information flows through the union, making it easier to:

• share accurate information across teams and roles
• reduce duplication and re‑keying
• use knowledge and functionality from one area of work in other areas
• connect directly to member-facing activities, to enable greater personalisation and self-service
• innovate new tech-enabled processes without major expense
• have tools with an ongoing upgrade path as opportunities change
• plug in best-of-breed tools for specific functions, and change them more easily if needed

Investment only pays off if practice changes too

The improvements a union wants might need new tech to make them possible, but new systems are not going to deliver improvement on their own. Productivity and service improvements only get realised when unions:

• revisit their processes alongside system changes
• support people to use the new tools confidently
• prioritise which problems new systems are meant to solve, rather than tackling too much at once
• factor in honest evaluation to understand the possible next steps

Without this, even well‑chosen systems can add complexity rather than reduce it.

The union has a balance to strike between bending new tech to fit old processes, or bending the union’s processes to fit standard approaches of new tech.

Digitisation is therefore as much about sequencing and focus as it is about technology. Phasing change, learning as you go, and resisting the urge to do everything at once consistently leads to better outcomes.

Systems are political, whether we treat them that way or not

Infrastructure decisions distribute power inside organisations. They determine who can see information, who can act on it, and who has to wait.

When systems are poorly aligned with how unions actually operate, the result is often informal decentralisation: people solving problems their own way because the official route is too slow or unclear.

When systems are designed and invested in deliberately, they can support a different kind of organisation – a union that is more resilient, more transparent, and better able to meet members’ needs consistently.

Further reading

If you’d like to explore how these issues play out in practice, the following Digital Lab resources go deeper on systems and infrastructure decisions in unions:

• Managing CRM change projects in unions
• Managing IT infrastructure modernisation for UK unions
• Introducing cloud CRM platforms for unions
• Running CRM projects in unions – workshop report
• Managing shadow IT in unions
• Design principles for a new union CRM project
• Building union CRM together – ACTU Union Innovation Hub case study
• Next steps in CRM for unions: PCS case study
• How to start a CRM change project in your union
• Union tech survey 2024 – some thoughts on the results
• Measuring our digital journey: A survey of UK unions
• Moving to Dynamics at CWU
  

About this article

This blog was drafted with the help of generative AI, drawing on the Digital Lab’s 330,000 words of published content, across reports, guides, case studies and blogs. If you’d like to know more about that process and how AI was used, visit the series starter blog here.

The post Digital unionism means systems and investment appeared first on TUC Digital Lab.

• They join (or try to).
• They receive messages – or they don’t.
• They look for help, advice or representation.
• They decide whether the union feels present, responsive and relevant in their working lives.

The TUC Digital Lab has worked on many themes around members’ interactions with their unions, such as online joining, events and meetings, campaigns, or ballots.

In each area, we’ve seen success is closely related to whether the union is meeting their members’ expectations of how organisations should work today.

Members bring modern expectations with them

Most union members interact every day with digital services that are designed around convenience, clarity and immediacy. That doesn’t mean unions should behave like commercial platforms, of course. But it does mean that members bring expectations that have been shaped elsewhere.

Those expectations often include things like:

• being able to join or update details without friction
• receiving clear communications at the right moments
• knowing who to contact and how
• not having to repeat the same information multiple times

We don’t pretend these expectations are easy for many unions to meet. But when unions struggle to make a success of digital interactions, it’s often because our systems, processes and ownership haven’t been designed from the member’s point of view.

Member experience is a journey, not an interaction

Most members don’t experience the union through one defining touchpoint. They experience it through a series of small moments over time.

These might include being asked to update details, taking part in a vote, reading a message on their phone, or trying to find an answer online. Each moment on its own may seem minor. Together, they form a journey.

When that journey feels joined‑up and intentional, membership feels valuable. When it feels disjointed or inconsistent, trust erodes, quietly and over time.

Designing for member experience therefore means thinking beyond single campaigns or tools. It means paying attention to how different interactions connect to one another.

Take joining for example. Joining a union is often the first sustained interaction a member has with it. That makes it a moment of real consequence.

If the process is slow, confusing or fragile, confidence is undermined before the relationship has even begun. If it works smoothly, it sets a tone: that this is an organisation that values people’s time, understands their needs, and follows through as you would expect it to.

The join journey doesn’t end when someone submits their form. It continues through confirmation, welcome and onboarding. Each step shapes how a new member understands what being in the union will actually feel like.

Consistency is critical

Meeting members’ expectations doesn’t always mean responding personally and immediately to everything. In many situations, what matters most is that common interactions are handled reliably.

Clear confirmations, timely follow‑ups, predictable processes and relevant messages all contribute to a sense that the union is paying attention. Where appropriate, well‑designed automation can support this. Not to replace human judgement, but to ensure the basics work consistently.

Members notice when things fall through gaps. They also notice when things simply work for them.

Digital maturity shows up at the edges

Many digital problems only become visible at the margins:

• members who join online but are slow to receive a confirmation
• activists who are keen to help but can’t be contacted at the usual times
• members whose workplaces or contracts don’t fit neatly into existing systems

It’s possible to design for a “happy path”, yet for things not to go that way for most users. These edge cases reveal how mature (or fragile) digital practice really is.

Unions that are digitally confident tend to treat these signals as feedback: indicators that something needs to be refined or rethought. Less confident organisations are more likely to see them as one‑off issues, or as problems caused by the member rather than the system.

Member experience is shaped by internal choices

One of the recurring lessons we’ve found is that member experience is an outcome of organisational decisions, not just front‑end design.

That includes decisions about:

• how data is structured and shared
• whether systems talk to each other
• who owns a process and who can intervene
• how much variation is allowed across regions, branches or sectors

All these choices shape whether members experience the union as joined‑up or fragmented; responsive or slow; visible or distant.

This is where digital change often becomes uncomfortable. Improving the member experience usually requires unions to revisit long‑standing ways of working – not just improve what members see on the surface.

Meeting expectations needs iteration, not perfection

A common trap is waiting for a perfect solution before making changes. But one of the most consistent lessons from the Digital Lab is that improvement usually comes through iteration.

Unions that make progress tend to:

• test changes in limited contexts (pilots)
• learn from what improves member experience – and what doesn’t
• adjust processes over time, rather than wait for a major overhaul
• share learning internally rather than hiding missteps

This is particularly important as new technologies emerge. Whether unions are experimenting with new communications channels, new ways of analysing data, or new tools entirely, the question is not “Is this finished?” but “Is this helping members right now – and how could it work better?”

Members experience the union as a whole

From most members’ perspectives, the union isn’t divided into teams, departments, regions, committees or branches. It’s a single organisation.

They don’t distinguish between “digital” and “non‑digital” interactions. They experience the union as present or absent; clear or confusing; joined‑up or fragmented.

That is why digitisation can’t be treated as a niche concern. Meeting members’ expectations requires:

• leadership that prioritises the member experience
• investment decisions that support long‑term coherence
• staff and reps being supported with tools that work
• a willingness to adapt and evolve

Digitisation for unions is often framed as a question of capability or of modernisation. But at its core, it is about experience.

It asks whether the way unions operate aligns with how members now live and work. Whether people feel supported at key moments. And whether the organisation feels coherent, trustworthy and responsive over time.

Seeing digital change through the lens of member experience doesn’t simplify the task. It raises the bar. But it also gives digital unionism its clearest purpose: making membership work better in practice.

Further reading

If you want to explore some of the themes in this blog in more detail, here are links to some of the resources it was based on:

• 8 principles for digital transformation in unions
• Online joining for unions – current and best practice
• A six‑step plan to retaining more members
• Building more effective landing pages for unions
  

About this article

This blog was drafted with the help of generative AI, drawing on the Digital Lab’s 330,000 words of published content, across reports, guides, case studies and blogs. If you’d like to know more about that process and how AI was used, visit the series starter blog here.

The post Digital unionism means meeting members’ expectations appeared first on TUC Digital Lab.

There are reports, how-to-guides, case studies, workshop write-ups and blogs. It runs to over 330,000 words in all.

And as it’s spread over so many documents and such a long period of time, there’s probably nobody who’s actually read the whole corpus (if you have, let me know and I’ll send you a medal!).

I wanted to see what new uses we could make of this resource, so have been working with the generative AI assistant tool Microsoft Copilot 365 to repurpose it by scanning it all and drafting a blog series. The aim is to draw together starting points for people with different interests, and ways into the further resources they might want to check out.

So I started by listing out the different big themes that I think our work has uncovered, and came up with these seven themes that I wanted to explore:

• Meeting member expectations
• Investing in tech infrastructure
• Developing skills and culture
• Increasing use of data
• Digital leadership and change management
• Keeping safe and compliant
• Digital decentralisation

How AI was used

I set Copilot up to scan a SharePoint folder containing all our reports and guides. To get at the content across our blogs, I had Copilot convert a database export from WordPress into a long Word doc – filtering out posts from irrelevant categories.

I set it some tone guidelines and got it to draft a post around my first theme, revising the prompt and regenerating to get the tone closer to what I wanted. I edited it line by line, to what I thought was more suitable for a union audience, and to bring out specific Digital Lab subtext that Copilot hadn’t identified. I uploaded the edits to refine the tone further and then set about generating more posts in the same vein.

I still needed to do a line-by-line edit of the whole series, re-ordering or expanding on different points, or deleting chunks where it was going into unnecessary detail just to conform to a standard format.

Overall, this process still took considerable time in preparing materials, constructing prompts, lost time in false starts and a lot of effort in manual editing. But that was maybe half the time that writing the series from scratch would have taken. It also surfaced some good points across the themes that I probably would have missed if doing it purely by myself.

How Copilot performed

Trying this also helped me learn some big shortcomings of the Copilot 365 tool. Despite being marketed as being closely integrated with the Microsoft Graph for each user, this doesn’t go as deep as the ads suggest. It struggled dealing consistently with a large number of documents, and on some themes I noticed its results missing important concepts or giving generic responses. The 330,000 words I was trying to synthesize overall was several times larger than it was able to cope with.

Importantly, it won’t highlight this kind of problem to you itself. Generative AI doesn’t “know” anything and isn’t trying to get to the truth behind a question. It’s just coming up with statistically most likely ways that such as question might be answered. That means it’ll draft any amount of content supportive to the argument in your prompt – even if that means it loses track of evidence and starts making things up.

After I queried this it recommended me a solution to this drift – drafting a new prompt for every post that scanned the documents to build up a ‘corpus index’ (picking relevant points for that theme in each document, one document at a time). I also highlighted the documents I thought were most relevant to each theme, and between these methods it was able to get the volume of content down enough to synthesise and reformat more consistently.  

Start the series here

We’ll be releasing the blogs weekly over the next couple of months. We hope it’ll build up into a useful way of thinking about achieving digital change in your unions. And of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts or questions if you want to get in touch.

1. Digital unionism means meeting members’ expectations

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This is something the TUC and unions have consistently campaigned for, over more than two decades. And union experience with indicative ballots means we have a lot of good practice to draw on as we extend the tactics to strike votes and leadership votes.

But there are also a number of areas where the move to new ballots means a difference in importance, scale and audience, and there will be complications with the changes, due to the limitations of the new legislation. 

Unions have work to do in updating their rulebooks, cleaning and building their member contact data, establishing the processes and suppliers they will want to use, and planning their approach to get-out-the-vote campaigns in a different situation. 

But the work will be worth it in terms of increasing turnout and engagement, speeding up processes, meeting modern member expectations, and in many cases reducing balloting costs. 

This guide aims to give unions some practical directions on how to prepare, so they can make the most of the new right once it becomes law. 

Download the full guide here

The post Preparing the union for online statutory balloting appeared first on TUC Digital Lab.

What’s different, and what’s the same?

We’ve looked across the whole tool to update the different stages of good practice for unions on tech and digital. It’s been interesting to see what’s held up well, but also where new ways of working with tech can be seen coming through.

Since the last update, we’ve seen a continued move to the cloud for tech services. There’s also been a particular emphasis on doing tech with a greater eye on security, as unions have faced an increasing level of cyber attacks. And as emerging technologies like AI start to embed into more tech tools, unions need to consider the longer term view in how we’re responding.

At the same time, we’ve tried to keep as much consistency in theming and levels as possible. So unions using it should still be able to identify clearly where they are making progress from previous iterations.

What is the digital healthcheck?

For those who’ve never used the digital healthcheck before, it’s a tool to help unions benchmark their digital and technical maturity. Working through questions in an interactive Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, you choose the best fit for where your union currently stands across a broad range of categories.

Its purpose is to help benchmark your union’s current position against potential best practice, to identify for yourself where you may want to direct the next steps of your tech journey, and to have a way to measure it over time.

The tool aims to help illustrate what these digital and technical best practice could look like in a union setting, reflecting the challenges and innovations in both the movement and the wider world.

As such, there are no right or wrong answers. And there’s no one-size-fits-all solution that is going to be relevant to every union’s very different situation and experience.

Rather, this benchmarking process is designed to help the union’s leadership make the best choices when viewed alongside your own union’s context, resources and strategy. Gaps identified don’t need to filled at a uniform rate, but instead can give you a better awareness of the potential opportunities the union could move towards by choosing different paths.

Benchmarking also gives managers across the union a common framework to discuss developments in digital and technology, understanding better why a focus is being placed on particular projects and how they fit into the whole.

As your union progresses along your digital journey, you should revisit the benchmark from time to time. It helps you evaluate the impact of work done and it may be that a different area becomes more important to focus on as your organisational priorities change.

How to use the TUC digital healthcheck

You can download the latest version of the digital healthcheck here. You’ll receive a zip file containing the interactive Excel sheet as well as a document with instructions and glossary.

It takes about 20 minutes to complete and ideally requires senior and specialist input from across the organisation. We’d suggest using it as an exercise for your union’s senior management team.

The results are entirely owned by your union – the data is not shared by default. However, unions that do choose to share their results with the TUC are much appreciated. This helps us build up a better understanding of where unions are and allows us to tailor our Digital labs resources and workshops around the needs of affiliates.

Download the new edition of the TUC digital healthcheck now.

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Back in November, we held a webinar with Cory and tech sector union activists from Prospect, UTAW and Unite, to explore how the concept of enshittification affects tech workers and users alike – and how unions have a big role in the fight back against Big Tech’s worst instincts.

It was a really interesting conversation, and you can watch the recording here.

Cory’s book “Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it” is available from all good bookshops (as well as giant, enshittified ones) and is published by Verso.

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Brian’s experience spans decades of union and political campaigns and organising, so when we found he was passing through the UK, we were keen to get him in front of a room of union campaigners and organisers. Here’s a bit of what he told us.

Engagement as a spectrum – from mass mobilising to deep organising

Brian opened with a challenge to the way we often talk about “engagement” in digital campaigning. The term is often thrown around as if it’s a single thing to measure. But engagement is best understood as a spectrum. It ranges from mass, low-impact communications at one end, to deep, high-impact organising at the other.

At the “efficient but low-power” end, you have tools like email and mass texting. These can reach thousands at once. They can mobilise people at critical moments, keep members informed, and bring new supporters into the fold. But each individual interaction is relatively shallow.

At the “high-power but low-efficiency” end, you find the one-to-one conversations that are the lifeblood of organising – trusted contacts talking to colleagues in the workplace, building collective power and resilience one relationship at a time. These interactions are powerful, but by their nature, they’re not efficient or easily scalable.

Both ends of the spectrum are essential. The challenge for unions is to use digital tools to maximise both reach and depth, without mistaking one for the other.

Tools are just tools

A recurring theme in Brian’s talk was the need to see technology as a means, not an end. The real work of organising, building relationships, understanding what matters to members, developing leaders, can’t be automated or outsourced to technology.

Tech tools can help us move faster and further – to communicate, gather information, and coordinate action. But having them doesn’t automatically mean your campaigns will work. Their value depends entirely on how unions use them.

Brian illustrated his points with stories from the US.

1. The minor league baseball players’ union drive

One of the most striking stories was the successful unionisation of minor league baseball players, something that had been tried and failed for many years. This was a workforce of 5,500, scattered across 120 teams, many of them migrant workers living in precarious conditions and on casualised contracts.

The campaign began with digital forms to gather contact information and identify key issues. Organisers used the data to map out leaders on each team, then assigned tasks and follow-ups through Action Builder.

Over two playing seasons, they built relationships, held online events, including professional development opportunities, and kept in constant touch.

When the time came to go public, the overwhelming majority of players signed union cards, beating the threshold by a long way. The employers conceded and recognised the union, which was able to win a 300% pay rise and dramatically improved conditions.

The technology had enabled organisers to scale up relationship-building and track progress in real time, even with a fragmented and mobile workforce. But the heart of the campaign was still the traditional tactic of conversations and connections between people.

2. Minnesota Nurses Association

This nurses’ union faces a regular three-year contract cycle. To keep members engaged between negotiations, they used Action Network forms to gather feedback, educate members about the process, and organise events.

By combining mass communication with opportunities for deeper involvement, such as local meetings and one-to-one conversations, they built a sense of connection and ownership among members.

Brian emphasised that regular, authentic engagement is crucial. If we only reach out to members in times of crisis, trust and solidarity erode. Building the “muscles” of engagement in quieter times ensures that unions are ready to mobilise when it matters most.

3. Public Service Alliance of Canada

During a major strike by a 300,000 member union, PSAC used Action Network’s distributed events tool to help members find and join picket lines. Members could enter their postcode, find the nearest picket, and sign up to join in.

The tool made it easy for organisers to manage hundreds of events and for members to get involved. An unexpected bonus was that journalists started using the tool to find events they could go to for local broadcast, leading to positive media coverage.

But technology alone doesn’t drive turnout. Brian talked about the “myth of the motivated but directionless activist”. People get involved because they have built up a strong supporting identity for an issue, not simply because a new tool makes getting involved with any event easy, even if they don’t really care about it.

The best digital campaigns are those that complement, rather than replace, the hard work of organising.

Challenges for unions

In both the US and the UK, unions are operating in a context of rapid technological, political, and social change. Authoritarian movements are on the rise, social media is reshaping how people relate to each other, and traditional forms of collective action are under pressure. Brian outlined some big challenges for unions in how we approach our campaigns and organising.

Get past organisational inertia and securing buy-in

Large organisations, unions included, are by their nature built to continue to do what they’ve always done. Introducing new technology requires both top-down buy-in (to secure resources and political support) and bottom-up ownership (from those who will actually use the tools). Projects to adopt new tech will be as much about the people and processes as they are about the platforms.

Pilot projects are an invaluable to move towards change, but they need to be the right size. Too small and they aren’t seen as relevant in other situations, too big and they can be unmanageable.

Brian’s advice was to find a campaign with enough scale to matter, but not so much that new approaches get bogged down. Secure strong ownership from someone with implementation responsibility, often an organising director or campaign lead, and ensure leadership is on board to back the necessary investment.

Build up engagement levels before you need them

In many places there has been a long-term loss of connection between unions and their members. In the US this year, some unions have found themselves hollowed out by attacks from a hostile government, which left them struggling to quickly rebuild engagement channels and trust with members at the time they’ve needed it most.

That’s something we should consider too. Don’t wait for a crisis to start engaging members. Regular, meaningful communication based around member needs is essential. It powers mobilisation efforts and it helps retain the sense of community and solidarity that sustains unions over the long term. But it is also a vital channel for communication that the union may need to call on suddenly.

See digital tools as part of a broader strategy.

When resources are tight, it can be tempting to look for ways to replace time-intensive work in a cheaper and easier way. But we need to be sure we’re not using them in appropriate ways – complementing, rather than trying to replace, the hard work of organising.

Mass communications and mobilisation are valuable, but real power comes from organising, which needs deep, ongoing relationships.

Whether you’re using Action Network, Action Builder, WhatsApp, or a paper wall chart, the goal is the same – to build relationships, foster community, and turn that into collective power.

About Action Network

Action Network is a digital campaign platform, comprising campaign tools and campaign CRM. Launched in 2012 it provides a suite of tools for mass mobilisation, such as petitions, email actions and event management.

It holds data on all interactions and allows huge flexibility in segmenting and targeting communications through email or SMS. And it incorporates federated capability, to allow distributed organisations like unions to make use of it at many different levels.

Its structure as a cooperative, part-owned and governed by unions, ensures that the platform’s development is directly responsive to the movement’s needs, rather than external investors.

It’s been used by several unions in the UK, including Unite, Equity and NEU’s School Cuts campaign. The TUC integrate it with other tools to power the Megaphone campaign platform.

There is currently a project in development to improve the UK geographic and political localisation of Action Network, helping it work better for UK trade unions.

About Action Builder

Action Builder is a organising toolset, launched in 2019. It can either complement Action Network or stand alone.

While Action Network mobilises people at scale, Action Builder is designed for one-to-one relationship-building, tracking workplace conversations, mapping networks, and developing leaders.

The idea for a separate tool came from an understanding that conventional CRM type databases stored information on people, but couldn’t adequately understand or store data on relationships between people. Those relationships are the most vital units of organising, and it needed a reworking of the whole model in order to help organisers make use of that data.

Action Builder aims to provide intuitive and mobile-first tools for organisers and reps to complete their organising tasks with directly. As such it builds up the data directly as a product of the work, rather than needing people to input data retrospectively, which is where organising tools often fall down.

If you’re interested in learning more about Action Network, Action Builder, or options for similar tools, please get in touch with the TUC Digital Lab.

AI transparency: We used generative AI to make a first draft of this blog from an audio recording of Brian’s presentation to our event, which was then edited and expanded before publication.

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Unions are particularly at risk. We have limited budgets and often operating on older tech. We have large caches of sensitive data. And as highly decentralised organisations, we’re uniquely exposed to the risks of shadow IT, with all the risks that brings.

One way to reduce your union’s risk from phishing is to improve the impact of cyber security training using simulation – giving users a clearer understanding of moments of risk.

For this webinar, we were joined by Nationwide Group Staff Union Operations Manager James McCrossan and TUC vCIO Simon Parry. They talked about their own experiences with two different models of phishing simulation.

These case studies also feature in our recent report “Email phishing to keep unions safe”, which examines the pros and cons of each model for different types of union, and looks at some wider recommendations on phishing. Download a copy here.

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Even with strong IT security systems, the weakest link is often in human mistakes made by staff and activists. People can be tricked into giving away access to systems and data. There is an ever-growing amount of scam email flowing into our unions at all levels, attempting to do that. This so-called “phishing” is the most common form of attack, but also the most common way for the most serious types of attacks to start out.

Phishing simulation is a technique that can help our users better spot the kind of attacks they might face – simulating real attacks to demonstrate the risk more clearly. It can be used to understand and measure where the union has vulnerabilities, and to strengthen our defences through training.

Some unions already employ the technique, but for many others it could be a quick win in the ongoing battle with hackers and scammers.

Cyber-crime is an issue that all union leaders should be engaging with directly, rather than leaving to unions’ often under-resourced IT teams or outsourced suppliers. But for areas like this, where changes to staff or reps’ behaviour are so critical, there is an additional need for leadership and support.

This new Digital Lab guide outlines some of the key concepts involved in phishing simulation. It outlines two case studies of approaches that might benefit smaller and larger unions. And it looks at choices and supplementary measures your union should consider.

Download the guide here

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But as technology moves on, so too does support. With Windows 11 having now been available for four years, Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 10 will reach end of support on 14 October 2025. 

Unions may still have machines that use Windows 10, and this could become a security risk. This blog looks at what the implications are for unions, and what their options could be. 

What does “end of support” mean? 

After 14 October 2025, Windows 10 will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or technical support. PCs won’t suddenly stop working, but they will become more vulnerable to cyber threats. Without regular updates, any new security flaws will remain unpatched, posing a risk to anyone using the system, especially for online tasks or handling sensitive data. 

Despite the looming deadline, Windows 10 remains in heavy use. Some estimates suggest that as much as 40% of Windows devices are still running it. There are major concerns that so many devices are potentially about to become at risk. 

Critics also argue that forcing upgrades could lead to the unnecessary disposal of perfectly functional hardware. This is not only a waste of resources for millions of people and organisations, but environmentally reckless as perfectly good hardware is thrown away and replaced. 

Under pressure, Microsoft has recently introduced a 12-month extension to Windows 10 support. But it’s not automatic. Your union or your activists will need to take action to enable it. 

Why the delays in upgrading to Windows 11? 

Despite Windows 11 being available, and free to upgrade for many, adoption has been slower than expected. A key reason is hardware compatibility: older machines often don’t meet the requirements for Windows 11.

Why this matters for trade unions 

Trade unions face particular challenges here. With tighter IT budgets than many private sector organisations, hardware upgrades can be slower to come about.  

Also some unions still rely on very customised software that was built more than four years ago and might only run on Windows 10. 

This is especially concerning given the sensitive nature of union data and the fact that unions have been targeted by cyberattacks in recent years. The risks are real and growing. 

For reps and branch officials without dedicated IT support, the end-of-life deadline might not even be on their radar. Also, many activists won’t have dedicated hardware from their union, instead relying on personal devices for their duties.  If these devices haven’t been updated, or can’t run Windows 11, they may be forced to risk working on insecure devices. 

It’s not just the union’s hardware and data that face risks. Unions would be exposed if outdated, unsupported devices are used to interact with employers. These machines, lacking security updates, could inadvertently introduce malware into workplace systems. That doesn’t just compromise data, it could damage relationships and harm the union’s reputation. 

Some employers already block unsupported devices from accessing key services like email clients or shared platforms. This means those devices could become effectively unusable in a professional setting, leaving reps unable to carry tasks on union-provided  PCs. 

What are your options? 

For those who can’t upgrade to Windows 11, Microsoft’s answer is their Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme, which offers a way to extend support until October 2026. There are two ways to activate it: 

• Free Option: Link your PC to a Microsoft account and sync settings via OneDrive (Settings > Accounts). This may already be set up by your union if you use Microsoft services. If unsure, check with your IT team. But be aware that this method nudges your users further into Microsoft’s ecosystem, and free accounts have data storage limits that will keep nagging users to take out monthly paid upgrades. 

• Paid Option: For around £22, you can manually activate the ESU. To do this, first ensure your system is fully updated via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. ESU options will only appear of updated devices. This is also where you need to activate the extended security update, but not everyone will see this option immediately. It’s being rolled out gradually. 

Other Paths Forward 

Of course, upgrading your compatible Windows 10 devices to Windows 11 is one solution, as is buying new Windows 11 devices. But those aren’t viable, there’s another route, but one best reserved for the most technically comfortable users.  

The End of 10 campaign group is encouraging users to adopt the Open-Source Linux system, which would allow older PCs to continue running securely without additional cost. You can learn more at endof10.org, but be aware that this option is only recommended for those who fully understand the implications of switching to Open Source. 

If you’re worried about your union’s preparedness for the end of Windows 10, here are some steps you can take: 

Audit your union’s internal hardware 

If your union maintains an IT asset register, you should already have a record of devices and their operating systems. If not, conduct a manual audit to assess the scale of the issue. Identify which devices are still running Windows 10. Of these, you need to find out which ones: 

• Can be upgraded to Windows 11 
• Can be retained if they have Extended Security Updates (ESU) activation 
• Can no longer be used and require replacement 

Pay particular attention to devices that lack key Windows 11 requirements such as TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or supported CPUs. 

National unions often have access to automated auditing tools to streamline this process. For example: 

• IT Managed Service Providers (MSPs) may use endpoint management platforms like Acronis, Datto, or Heimdal to quickly identify all Windows 10 devices. Ask your provider for details if you don’t already have access to the automated reporting. 
• If your union has adopted Microsoft Cloud and you’ve got into the more advanced steps and deployed Microsoft Intune, this gives IT administrators visibility into all enrolled devices via Microsoft 365 admin controls. From here, potentially vulnerable devices can be identified. 

Audit activists’ devices 

Auditing devices used by branches and representatives can be more complex, especially if your union does not directly provide hardware for reps, or if your reps use employer-provided hardware. Approaches vary significantly across organisations, so your audit strategy will need to reflect your union’s specific setup. 

For instance:  

• If all devices are enrolled in Microsoft Intune, IT administrators can easily audit and enforce controls using Microsoft 365 admin tools.  

• If your union only provides funding for hardware and reps are responsible for purchasing their own devices, then clear communications and guidance will be essential to ensure compliance and security. 

• Self-checking tools: Reps can use built-in tools like Windows Security, System Information, or Settings > About to check their device’s OS version and update status. 

• Questionnaire-based audit: Consider distributing a simple questionnaire to reps asking for details such as device type, operating system version, antivirus status, and update history. This can help identify at-risk devices and guide next steps. 

Upgrade, Extend or Decommission 

Once all potentially at-risk devices have been identified, determine the appropriate action for each:  

• Upgrade to a supported operating system (usually Windows 11) 
• Extend security updates via ESU (Extended Security Updates)  
• Remove the device from use if it cannot be secured 

Communications 

Regardless of your union’s hardware policy, effective communication is critical. Where the union does not directly manage activist devices, consider providing:  

• Briefings, FAQs, and safety checklists to help reps understand the risks associated with Windows 10 end-of-life. 
• Template letters for reps to send to employers requesting upgrade plans, especially where employer-provided equipment may be affected. 

The post Does your union still have Windows 10 PCs? Here’s what to do before Microsoft support ends  appeared first on TUC Digital Lab.