Unite the Union CMS Migration: Delivering a £2 Million Digital Transformation with Multilingual Support and Secure Member Integration

Unite the Union is the largest trade union in the UK and Ireland, representing over 1.2 million members across sectors such as manufacturing, transport, construction, public services, and education. It provides legal support, workplace representation, campaigning, and advocacy for working people at a national and international level.

Unite’s website was a critical platform for delivering information and services to its members, but the legacy CMS had become outdated, difficult to manage, and lacked the flexibility needed to support their growth. I led the full digital transformation project to deliver a modern, scalable, and multilingual website that integrated directly with Unite’s internal systems and allowed secure access for members and staff.

The Challenge

Unite’s original CMS lacked several key capabilities. It did not support multiple languages, could not easily handle complex content sign-off processes, and was not integrated with their internal member database. Content publishing and approvals were fragmented across departments, and access to content needed to be securely tiered by user role and member status.

The new platform had to meet several demands:

• Multilingual publishing capabilities for UK and Ireland audiences

• Secure API integration with the membership management system

• Tiered access to content, including member-only areas

• Structured content workflows for approval and publishing

• Scalable architecture to support ongoing growth and decentralised editorial control

All of this had to be delivered alongside a team of internal stakeholders, third-party consultants, and Unite’s delivery partner, Reading Room.

The Strategy

I managed the project from end to end, acting as the central point of coordination between Unite’s leadership, external consultants, and the Reading Room technical team. My responsibilities included technical planning, stakeholder communication, risk management, delivery tracking, and launch planning.

Key elements of the strategy:

• Migrated Unite’s website to SDL Tridion, a content management system designed for large, multilingual, and multi-role organisations

• Implemented API integration between Tridion and Unite’s member system, allowing secure content access and real-time personalisation

• Designed and rolled out content workflows with structured approvals, supporting multiple departments and editorial roles

• Delivered full user testing, accessibility auditing, and performance validation

• Set up support tracking, post-launch monitoring, and account management handover

The platform was planned in phases, with regular workshops and steering meetings to manage expectations and track dependencies.

The Results

• Delivered a fully functioning, multilingual enterprise website for the UK and Ireland’s largest union

• Seamless integration with Unite’s existing systems, allowing personalised content and secure login

• Flexible content workflows introduced across teams, reducing bottlenecks and increasing governance

• Website launched successfully, on time and to budget

• Project value was approximately £2 million over several years, with structured handover to long-term account management and support

The client was fully satisfied, and the platform is now in use by thousands of members and internal teams.

Conclusion

Unite the Union needed a system that reflected the scale and importance of their mission. I delivered that system through structured planning, strong stakeholder coordination, and focused delivery management. If your organisation needs to modernise a complex digital estate while integrating securely with internal systems, I can help lead the entire process with clarity and control.

Let’s talk about how I can help you deliver enterprise platforms that actually work.