URTU and Partners Credit Union are building on a relationship that began in October 2022, with URTU becoming the first and founding trade union partner to receive Partners Credit Union’s Partnership with Purpose™ accreditation.
To mark the milestone, Partners Credit Union CEO Tracey Fletcher formally presented URTU General Secretary Rob Monks with the Partnership with Purpose™ accreditation certificate. As the first trade union to receive the accreditation, the presentation recognises URTU’s role as a founding partner and celebrates a relationship that has grown and developed over the past four years.
What is Partnership with Purpose™?
Partnership with Purpose™ is Partners Credit Union’s approach to working with organisations that want to provide practical support for the financial wellbeing of their people.
Through the partnership, eligible URTU members have access to the services of a member-owned, not-for-profit financial co-operative, offering opportunities to save and access responsible borrowing, subject to eligibility and lending criteria.
Unlike a traditional commercial lender, a credit union exists to serve its members, with any surplus used for the benefit of the credit union and its membership rather than external shareholders.
URTU members can also benefit from a FREE standard will-writing service and FREE Loan Protection and Life Savings Insurance, subject to terms and conditions.
The accreditation recognises the work already taking place between URTU and Partners Credit Union and provides a platform to develop the partnership further.
Rob Monks, General Secretary of URTU, said:
“Supporting our members is at the heart of what URTU does. Our partnership with Partners Credit Union provides another practical benefit for our members and their families.
“Financial wellbeing is an important part of people's overall wellbeing, and we welcome the opportunity to work with Partners Credit Union to help members access savings and responsible financial services through a member-owned organisation.
“The presentation of the Partnership with Purpose™ accreditation certificate marks an important milestone in our relationship and reflects our shared commitment to supporting URTU members.”
Tracey Fletcher, CEO of Partners Credit Union, said:
“We’re incredibly proud that URTU is our first and founding Partnership with Purpose™ trade union partner. It feels particularly fitting because this isn’t a new relationship – we’ve been working together since 2022 and have seen first-hand the commitment URTU has to its members.
“Partnership with Purpose™ is about taking relationships like this beyond simply offering a range of products. We want to work alongside our partners, understand their members and find practical ways in which a credit union can add real value to the support they already provide.
“URTU has embraced that approach, from helping us raise awareness of the credit union to inviting us to engage directly with its Shop Stewards. That is what makes a partnership meaningful – when both organisations are actively involved in making it work.
“We’re excited about what we can build together over the coming years and very proud to have URTU leading the way as our founding trade union partner.”
Taking the partnership directly to URTU representatives
As part of the continuing partnership, Anette Kelly from Partners Credit Union was invited to speak to URTU Shop Stewards about the benefits available to members and how Partners Credit Union can support them.
The session covered how the credit union works, saving and responsible borrowing, the additional benefits available to URTU members and how Shop Stewards can help raise awareness of the partnership across the union.
Nick Wish, URTU Driver Representative at Greggs' Manchester Depot, said of the session:
“For me, to find out that there is a financial institution, positioned within the heart of our community, whose sole responsibility is to genuinely make lives better through ethical and responsible lending is a breath of fresh air. Partners Credit Union truly stands shoulder to shoulder with each and every one of us.”
Putting purpose into practice
The Partnership with Purpose™ accreditation recognises organisations working with Partners Credit Union to help their people access fair and responsible financial services.
For URTU members, the partnership provides another valuable membership benefit and access to a member-owned, not-for-profit financial co-operative built around the principles of mutuality, responsible lending, saving and financial resilience.
For URTU and Partners Credit Union, it marks the next stage of a relationship that began in 2022 and continues to develop for the benefit of URTU members.