GMB Union Reviews 

​I joined GMB with an urgent, ongoing contractual breach regarding my employer illegally slashing my guaranteed 60 working hours.

​The representative, Andrew Marcus, was non-committal and non-chalant. Despite having a clear, immediate problem—a company breach—I was instantly refused representation due to their "pre-existing issue" clause for new members.

​If you are joining for immediate help with a serious employment issue, save your money. They offered zero practical support or advice for dealing with the formal grievance process. They were only interested in my future fees, not my current crisis. I advise anyone facing problems to seek independent legal advice instead of relying on GMB's support

Rob Solaini has been so supportive and made things very easy to understand, he helped with a very sensitive situation and helped us manage this through to the end and we will forever be grateful. Rob demonstrated empathy, support and objectivity

Possibly the worst union, pointless having them really, non-communitve. Non-informative or helpful incase - missed deadlines due to their lack of support. Poor advice - they try not to get involve if possible - Non- responsive. Unbothered. Utterly pointless waste of money and time. There is very little benefits to having them to be honest as soon as its all over i'm cancelling they will only also take obvious cases like personal injury. I've got a 7 day dealine now nothing no response for 3 days for advice despite changing 1 missed call from a private number and no email response.

My encounter with GMB and Rob, who was my representative was a very positive experience.
Rob attended meetings with me and also engaged via telephone and face to face prior to work meetings with my manager after I was informed that my position was under the threat of redundancy.
He is very knowledgeable and professional and a credit to the GMB.
My negative experiences including being unable to contact the Hove office. I called them three times on various days and times of the week. I left messages requesting them to call me back and provided contact details, but I never received a call from them.
I also contacted Union line for some additional legal support but in my opinion they appeared disinterested and dismissive of my situation.
Overall if it hadn’t had been for Rob I would have rated GMB lower. Rob deserves 5 stars but I have only rated three due to the Hove office and Unionline interactions.

GMB are fraudsters,. They have tied up with Uber when no other unions were allowed and they are supporting uber to steal from drivers and treat the drivers like slaves. Every part of the world has a rate per mile or km. This was the norm with private hire industry in the UK. It seems like uber and GMB union, who most likely on ubers payroll might have joined hands together to file a suit and win the case, from the supreme Court ordering to pay minimum wage for drivers. The funniest part of the case is no opposition arguments raise any alarm or concern at all and now the driver get paid minimum wage or just about. But the driver has pay cost of running the car and tax from this and left with 1/3 of the money to survive.

Ubers agreement with drivers were 25 %commission. To achieve this they provide a statement which shows they charge between 28 to 35 %. This %includes offers uber offer the passengers and tolls they are supposed to pay and the 7 %holiday pay supreme Court order to pay. The way uber comes to the % they show on the statement is even funny.
eg:

Ride cost. Commission %. Driver %

£25. 50% £12.50. 50%£12.50
£5. 5%£0.25. 95% £4.75
£8. 10%£0.80. 90%£7.20
£38. 34.3% £13.05. 64.3£24.45

According to uber driver is getting 78%

Based on 50%+95%+90/3=78% which should be £29.64. Here driver losing £5.91 and also paying uber promotion and tall including airport pickup and drop.

GMB union don't question it. Wonder why. Please don't join this union and might as well be your own. Assuming they are compensated. Keep away.

So redundancy is never an easy thing to go through, but Rob GMB made the journey so much easier with his knowledge and professionalism helped me every step of the way with the stress and anxiety it caused even to the point he went to the meeting that I couldn’t, I can’t thank him enough Well done GMB team

Worst worker union in country they don't help worker they help big companies

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the one-star reviews about GMB. I’ve been a union member since 1988, and over the years I’ve watched them become increasingly powerless in holding employers accountable for workplace issues.

When I recently needed support for a valid grievance, my trust in organisational policies, management’s commitment to fairness, and GMB’s backing quickly disappeared. I realised the policies were meaningless, management had no interest in addressing issues that reflected badly on them, and GMB seemed more aligned with the organisation than with their members.

They also make it nearly impossible to access their solicitors, and dealing with GMB felt no different from dealing with HR—who clearly know how ineffective GMB has become.

Save your money and use AI for much better advice. If you have a strong case, go straight to a “no win, no fee” solicitor and cut out the middleman.

Awful experience I have been a member for over 4 years, they refuse to help you, I have a very serious discrimination case going to the Tribunal courts, the Union and even worse Unionline have never helped me, I was refused to submit documents for my case and recieved not only awful advise if there uneducated solicitors but also recieved extremely rude and refusals to submit my documents, they then went onto claim they did a merits test with no evidence and that I have no case, which they never have given me a merits test AS THEY DONT HAVE MY EVIDENCE!!!! TO DO A MERITS TEST.

Absolute scam report and don't waste your hard earned money, they definitely are not here for us normal working folk.

Backed up the company rather than me and after I told them I’m no longer a member they said if I joined again they wouldn’t help me so stay away

Rob has been truly exceptional given our trust has offered nothing during this consultation.
Rob is thoughtful, knowledgeable and really, really approachable.
It is an added benefit too that he has such great clinical experience that aligns with us in urgent care setting.
We could not have done this without him and we are truly grateful to all at the GMB during this stressful time.
All staff at the GMB go that extra mile, compared to other unions and they keep their members at the heart of everything they do.

The GMB are EXCEPTIONAL

Thank you

I have been a GMB member for years, paying my membership and being told that they are totally on the side of the poorly paid social care worker of which I am. I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and reached out to the union for help as I knew I would have been out of work for several weeks and they told me they were unsure about benefits in my situation but they would drop my subscription to 22 pence for the next couple of months. How thoughtful. At least they are still getting money from me. Support my backside.

Needed help at work and union rep was very helpful

I joined GMB in May 2024 expecting proper support and representation, but my experience has been extremely disappointing.

My main issue was with my employer refusing to accommodate my disabilities, despite occupational health recommendations. I raised a grievance, but once the case became complex, GMB’s handling was very poor. I was passed between at least six or seven different reps, and each time I had to explain everything from scratch.

One rep hardly spoke in meetings and couldn’t communicate well in English, leaving me to do all the talking. Another avoided me once she realised how complex the case was. One even assumed I was just “after money” – which was both insulting and unprofessional. I had to make complaints just to be taken seriously.
Eventually I was passed to Sarah, who was much better. She spoke up in meetings and explained things properly. However, even she and the other reps prior failed to give me the most basic but crucial piece of advice: that I needed to raise my case with ACAS within three months if I wanted to take it further after exahausting all of the options with my workplace. Because of this, I completely lost my chance to take my case to tribunal. This is a serious failure on GMB’s part.

Honestly, unless you struggle with literacy or confidence, you’re better off representing yourself. I’ve already convinced three family members to cancel their membership. The only reason I haven’t cancelled mine is because my injury claim (a separate issue) is still ongoing with the legal team — a process that’s dragged on nearly two years — and I have to keep paying monthly fees for them to continue with it.

Moral of the story: Don’t be misled by positive reviews. In my experience, GMB has been unhelpful, disorganised, and ultimately a waste of time and money.

Joining Leeds GMB was the worst decision I’ve made. Moya Oneill, my Unison representative, consistently ignored emails and calls (except from hidden numbers) and gave contradictory guidance. She initially said she could not support me, then assured me she could—but even admitted that if it were found out she was representing me, she could get in trouble. When the case reached ACAS, GMB stated they could not assist because it predated my membership.
This misleading and unprofessional handling caused as much stress as my workplace issues. GMB, which should have been a source of support, only added to my stresses - AVOID THEM AT ANY COST.

Rob Solaini represented me during a recent issue. Rob is obviously a busy man, but this did not detract from the extraordinary level of expertise and professionalism he brought to my case. On top of that Rob seemed to genuinely care about me and my case and checked in regularly to ensure my wellbeing.

Rob's advice was spot on, he enabled me, and gave me confidence to take ownership of the issue and do some of the work myself, but was always on hand to guide me.

I can honestly say that the service provided by Rob was more than worth every penny of over 20 years of Union subs.

Thank you Rob!

I am absolutely aghast at the preamble submitted by GMB under 'company details'- 'on every workplace issue, from individuals facing disciplinaries, to bullying at work .. making sure that your workplace is a safe place to be–GMB is here for our members'!This description SURELY contravenes the Trades Descriptions Act. My situation came to a head in January 2024.It is incredibly interesting to read all the reviews on this website.None of which have been responded to by GMB which is very tellling.I suspect GMB want me to crawl under a stone and disappear.It is not going to happen GMB.I just need to try and get better mentally before I pursue my total dissatisfaction with the GMB workplace representative and the organisation as a whole.I did contact Barbara Plant, the President of GMB in regard to my concerns.I received absolutely no response whatsoever which I find totally unacceptable/disrespectful.I complained to GMB about the workplace representative.They consistently supported him even though I put forward he was a liar.He denied conversations we had held and failed to act in my best interests.I would consistently urge people. PLEASE,DO NOT,JOIN THIS UNION.I agree with another reviewer that some of the 'positive' reviews do lack some detail around the circumstances of involvement, but I do not wish to appear disrespectful to the reviewers in question.I would not wish for anyone to be in the situation I am currently in, suffering a mental health condition and unemployed. In essence, after dedicating my whole adult life(45 years)to working for Local Government, I think it would be fair to say, I am on the scrapheap.Hence my additional review.My financial and future plans in total ruins. Notwithstanding the work issues (I was summoned to a Disciplinary Hearing) the lack of appropriate guidance and support from the so called GMB Workplace Union Representative (DP) whilst I was suffering from what I can only describe, as a mental breakdown was pivotal leading to my current situation.I was suicidal due to the distress I was under, when I submitted my notice. The workplace representative was employed by the same employer as myself within Local Government.The matter was so serious, it led to me mistakenly handing in my notice as I was so unwell at the time. My opinion is, due to his relationship with the same employer as myself and what I can only describe as quite an amenable relationship with employees in HR (one in particular) my situation SHOULD NOT under any circumstances have been dealt with by an incompetent workplace representative who failed to seek advice from more senior GMB colleagues, following my concerns about potentially losing my pension and other benefits accrued over many decades of working for Local Government should I have got dismissed (reflectively, I don't think I would have done as there was significant collusion amongst some delightful colleagues and the manager)Rep went off sick after I handed in my notice.I believe he cited a mental health condition/stress,so therefore I would question if he was mentally/cognitively capable at the time of my demise of being involved in the first place!His incompetence is reflected in the fact that after mistakenly handing in my notice, he contacted another GMB Workplace Representative(SF)again, employed by the same employer as myself but he was off sick at the time,for advice! I believe this may contravene GMB rules? Why not liaise with a Nottingham GMB full time employee rather than in essence, a work colleague who was on long term sick leave.Shambolic practice.My issues should have been passed to more senior, knowledgeable, FULL TIME, PAID EMPLOYEES of GMB (Nottingham Branch).The Regional Organiser(MC)informing 'that he would never allow/encourage an employee to hand in their notice', whatever the circumstances. Sadly, MC's involvement in trying to unsusuccessfully encourage my employer to retract my notice, came too late.As did the subsequent involvement of another full time organiser, CW.MC or CW should have been appointed the lead in the first place to afford me the protection, knowledge sharing and support I so desperately needed. Please,please, DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES,join this union that encourages the recruitment and retention of a 'cheaper' sub standard workplace representative option - ill informed on employment matters (eg pension rights), lacking integrity and a blatant liar,only concerned about covering his back Step forward DP. How I'd just love to have a face to face conversation with you and tell you exactly what I think of you.SHAME ON YOU GMB. A ps-located this on the Indeed website-11 6 24-Organiser,Nottingham'Motivated by the members but a toxic support system in place.Nepotism rife

Useless, asked for help about Tupe transfer and no one called me back or replied to numerous calls and emails…. Didn’t help at all. I’m now in a very tricky situation which could have been a avoided if someone from here could have replied to offer help

GMB were amazing during a very difficult time at work, particularly Rob Solaini. He acted as my GMB representative and was incredibly knowledgeable,helpful and gave me the confidence to address a certain situation at work. You never know when you may be in need of employment advice and I would strongly reccomend GMB.

Joining GMB has been one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. Their service is beyond pathetic — completely unprofessional, unaccountable, and a total waste of time and money.

For three months I paid membership fees and reached out multiple times for help with an employment issue, yet I received zero support, zero response, and zero accountability. When a union fails to stand by its members in their time of need, it defeats the very purpose of existing.

This organisation takes your money but provides nothing in return. GMB has shown me nothing but disregard and incompetence, and I would strongly warn others to avoid wasting their money and trust on them.