Freedom of association policy statement

Nationwide is guided by internationally-recognised labour and human rights standards, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Core Conventions and the principles set out in the UN Global Compact. We comply with all relevant law and regulation, including the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and we publish an annual modern slavery and statement outlining the steps we take to prevent exploitation in our operations and supply chain.

We are committed to operating in accordance with the International Bill of Human Rights, comprising of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

As a signatory to the UN Global Compact, Nationwide upholds its labour principles, including Principles 3–6:

Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining;

Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour;

Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and

Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

Nationwide has established collective bargaining arrangements with the Nationwide Group Staff Union (NGSU) and Unite the Union, both of which are affiliated with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC).

NGSU and Unite the Union have negotiation rights over various matters, and we consult with them and provide information on a wide variety of matters affecting colleagues. We engage with them openly and transparently, sharing information on topics such as:

• Employee engagement feedback
• Career development programmes
• Equal pay and inclusion and diversity data (including gender, age, and ethnicity)
• Changes to all employee policies including Health and Safety

We support trade union membership, and all colleagues are free to join, leave or associate with any trade union or workplace representation group of their choice. We do not tolerate discrimination or disadvantage on the basis of trade union activity or membership. Any trade union recognised by Nationwide can take collective action on behalf of its individual members.

Nationwide complies with UK trade union legislation relating to recognition. We have a formal recognition agreement with NGSU for all Nationwide employees, including new employees to Nationwide, as well as Unite the Union for those formerly employed by Virgin Money. These agreements outline our shared commitment to working collaboratively, resolving issues constructively, and recognising the unions’ right to represent their members alongside our responsibility to manage our business effectively.

Our collective bargaining unit covers 99% of our permanent employees across all operating divisions of Nationwide Building Society. The agreements are jointly signed by the Group Chief People Officer or the Group Chief Executive Officer and the most senior union representatives, and detail matters covered by collective bargaining, including:

• Pay
• Overtime and unsociable hours payments
• Working hours
• Holiday and time off (including parental leave and time off for political parties and voluntary groups)
• Our internal and external dispute mechanisms.

Trade union representatives participate in our Health and Safety forums, providing feedback from members on all aspects of workplace safety and wellbeing, including stress management and verbal and aggressive behaviour by members of the public. The recognition agreements reinforce our commitment to open dialogue through local Business Committees, which enable trade union representatives to meet regularly with accountable management and raise issues on behalf of colleagues.

We actively support colleagues’ right to join a trade union and make this clear on our intranet, where we provide both the NGSU and Unite the Union with a dedicated intranet space. This enables direct communication with their members, shared updates and the provision of information relevant to their respective memberships, with direct links to their respective websites.

Nationwide publishes summaries of relevant union meetings on the Employee Involvement intranet site and all joint statements announcing employee policy changes. We publicise NGSU’s biennial conference to all employees and provide speakers as well as input to the conference content. Nationwide engages with the NGSU Green Advisory Group to support sustainability improvements and develop suggestions relating to Corporate Social Responsibility issues.

NGSU and Unite the Union are able to recruit, consult and engage with their members across the company. We provide trade union contact details when there is an obligation to consult with employees. Employees have the right to freedom of assembly and representatives are provided with paid time off to perform trade union duties. We also allow all trade union employees free access to all our sites, as well as provision of dedicated private space, and access to our core IT systems and intranet. To support trade union representatives with their activities, we provide e-learning courses to enable them to develop relevant skills. Our recognition agreements guarantee that elected officers and representatives may carry out their duties, without loss of basic salary, allowances or other benefits.

Following consultation and/or negotiations, we notify employees of changes to terms and conditions through joint statements or policy updates agreed with our employee unions. These are shared via email to employees and signalled in our centrally curated news updates. The communications provide links to NGSU’s and Unite the Union’s own communications.

We operate internal processes to identify, assess, monitor, mitigate and report on Labour Rights and Decent Work risks across our own operations and wider business relationships. This is underpinned by our Group Risk Management Framework, which ensures risks are managed in line with their severity and likelihood. It is further supported by a suite of people-related policies and procedures that align with our risk appetite, as well as legal and regulatory requirements.

The People Risk Policy and its supporting statements ensure that employment practice risks are managed within the risk appetite set by the Nationwide Board which requires us to

• Maintain minimal risk of major, severe or critical customer and reputational impact
• Operate within a moderate or minor level of risk to maintain an efficient and dynamic business with appropriate mitigations and action plans in place to manage the Society’s risk exposure
• Ensure that appropriate and adequate people controls are in place, effective to mitigate people related risks and are regularly tested
• Not tolerate any forms of bullying, harassment or discrimination and will provide and maintain an inclusive environment for each employee
• Comply with applicable employment legislation and will not tolerate breaches of legislation or regulation or breaches to human rights

We conduct internal reviews of our trade union relationships and associated controls, focused on the effective operation of our recognition agreements as required. Where applicable, updates on our union relationships are provided to the Executive Committee and informal discussions are held with the Society’s relevant Board members to support workforce engagement.

Our recognition agreements with NGSU and Unite the Union outline our internal and external dispute resolution processes to be followed where parties are unable to reach agreement on specific matters. We jointly agree and regularly review our Conduct, Capability and Resolution approach, as outlined in the recognition agreements and we operate a Dispute Resolution process designed to support the effective and timely resolution of colleague grievances.

Management representatives meet with trade union officers monthly to discuss concerns relating to individual cases and gather feedback on related processes.

Nationwide has comprehensive speak up processes, whistleblowing helplines and online reporting systems managed by third parties. These channels enable colleagues to raise concerns confidentially or anonymously. All employees are required to complete annual e-learning, enabling them to understand how to raise issues in a confidential manner and encouraging a culture of transparency and speaking up.

Where required, particularly in sensitive grievance or whistleblowing cases, we appoint external advisors to conduct independent investigations into allegations. This ensures impartiality, fairness and confidence in the outcome.

We encourage colleagues to participate in public duties and contribute to their communities. Where required, we provide time off or flexible working arrangements to enable colleagues to undertake roles such as:

• Be an elected member of a local authority
• Perform duties for a political party
• Take roles such as a justice of the peace or magistrate
• Be a member of a jury or statutory tribunal
• Be a member of an education or health body.

Last updated August 2026