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Privacy Policy

The Union gathers and processes your personal information in accordance with this privacy notice and in compliance with the relevant data protection regulations and laws. This notice provides you with the necessary information regarding your rights and our obligations and explains how, why and when we process your personal data. We are registered on the Information Commissioner's Office Register and act as the data controller when processing your data. You can view our registration with the ICO by typing Manchester Metropolitan Students’ Union or Z6961745 into the search function.

Every student enrolled at Manchester Metropolitan University is automatically a member of The Union. We process your personal information to meet our legal, statutory and contractual obligations and to provide you with our products and services. This includes maintaining an up-to-date record of our membership; providing and organising activities for union members; promoting our services; and supporting and managing our employees. We will never collect any unnecessary personal data from you and do not process your information in any way, other than as specified in this notice.

We obtain personal data about you from the following sources: From the University in order to meet out legal obligation to maintain an up-to-date register of members and to represent you in University matters From you when you access our services and resources (for example, clubs and societies, volunteering, job opportunities, online purchases, Advice Centre and the website)

The Union collects and processes a broad range of personal data about you in order to deliver our services to you as a student, manage our operations effectively and meet certain legal requirements. Examples of this personal data include your name, contact details, course and study details, ID number, job application information and information relating to your participation in Union activities and student groups. Personal data may also contain “sensitive personal data” as described under the DPA and “special categories of data” as described under the GDPR. Such “sensitive personal data” or “special categories of personal data” may include information about your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, political opinions, membership of a trade union, physical or mental health or, in relation to the DPA only, information concerning any criminal offences or criminal proceedings. Where we collect such information, we will only request and process the minimum necessary for the specified purpose and identify a compliant legal basis for doing so.

The Union takes your privacy very seriously and will never disclose, share or sell your data without your consent; unless required to do so by law. We only retain your data for as long as is necessary and for the purpose(s) specified in this notice. Where you have consented to us providing you with promotional offers and marketing, you are free to withdraw this consent at any time. The Union collects and processes a broad range of personal data about you in order to deliver our services to you as a student, manage our operations effectively and meet certain legal requirements. Examples of such services include our Advice Centre, clubs and societies, course rep programme, student-led campaigning, room bookings, shop and bar and our website. In addition to the above, we set out in Table 1 of this Notice the other purposes for which we will process your personal data, together with the legal basis for doing so and the categories of third parties with whom we share your personal data.

You have the right to access any personal information that The Union processes about you and to request information about:

  • What personal data we hold about you
  • The purposes of the processing
  • The categories of personal data concerned
  • The recipients to whom the personal data has/will be disclosed
  • How long we intend to store your personal data for

If we did not collect the data directly from you, information about the source If you believe that we hold any incomplete or inaccurate data about you, you have the right to ask us to correct and/or complete the information and we will strive to do so as quickly as possible; unless there is a valid reason for not doing so, at which point you will be notified. You also have the right to request erasure of your personal data or to restrict processing (where applicable) in accordance with the data protection laws; as well as to object to any direct marketing from us. Where applicable, you have the right to data portability of your information and the right to be informed about any automated decision-making we may use. If we receive a request from you to exercise any of the above rights, we may ask you to verify your identity before acting on the request; this is to ensure that your data is protected and kept secure. If you wish to exercise any of the above rights please complete a Subject Access Request form or write to the Chief Executive’s Office at the address below:- Manchester Metropolitan Students’ Union, 21 Higher Cambridge Street, Manchester, M15 6AD

We may share your personal data with organisations within and outside of the European Union. Where we share your personal data with countries outside of the European Union we will ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place to protect your personal data.

You are not obligated to provide your personal information to the Union, however, as this information may be required for us to provide you with our services and fulfil our legitimate purpose as the representative body for students at Manchester Metropolitan University, we may not be able to offer some of our services without it.

The Union retains your personal data in accordance with our Retention and Disposal Schedule. Some types of personal data are retained after your studies have ended, for example where we have a legal or statutory obligation and for statistical purposes. Where possible we will anonymise data retained for statistical purposes. Other types of data, particularly if sensitive, may only be retained for a short time. Where you have consented to us using your details for direct marketing, we will keep such data until you leave the University or withdraw your consent.

The Union only processes your personal information in compliance with this privacy notice and in accordance with the relevant data protection laws. If you have any concerns with regard to the way your personal data is being processed or have a query about this Notice, please contact the Chief Executive’s Office at the address below:- Manchester Metropolitan Students’ Union, 21 Higher Cambridge Street, Manchester, M15 6AD Our data controller registration number provided by the Information Commissioner’s Office is Z6961745 and our registration can be viewed on the ICO’s website here: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/what-we-do/register-of-data-controllers/ You have a right to complain to the ICO about the way in which we process your personal data. Please see: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/handling/

Purposes of data processing, legal basis and disclosure 

Specific purposes  Legal basis 
Registration of students as members of The Union on enrolment, and provision of membership benefits and services.  Legitimate purpose of providing students with automatic access to the University’s Students Union and services 
Administration of a range of student-led activities and opportunities to enrich students educational experience (clubs and societies, volunteering, student-led events and campaigni Legitimate purpose of providing students with a range of opportunities to enrich their educational experience 
Processing of health and safety concerns to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students  Legitimate purpose of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students 
To carry out democratic functions of The Union  To meet our legal obligation under the 1994 Education Act
To represent students and protect their rights  Legitimate purpose as the representative body for students at Manchester Metropolitan University 
Administration of job applications, employment contracts and employee records  Legitimate purpose of seeking to provide appropriate support and comply with the Union’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010 
Administration of external and internal student surveys, including collection of feedback on distinct services  Consent from students who complete the surveys 
Administration of complaints, investigations and disciplinary proceedings concerning student misconduct, in accordance with The Union’s Membership Code of Conduct.  Legitimate purpose as the representative body for students at Manchester Metropolitan University
Administration of The Union’s CCTV system in accordance with our CCTV policy.  Legitimate purpose of providing a safe Union environment, facilitate prevention and detection of crime and assist with investigation into potential breaches of Union policies. 
Processing orders and purchases of our products and services  Processing necessary in the performance of a contract 
Provision of specialist advice and advocacy for individual students in need  Processing necessary in the performance of a contract 
Processing for business accounting and tax purposes  Processing necessary as part of our legal obligation 
Direct marketing and communications relating to promotions and offers  Consent from students who opt-in to receive such communications 
Membership communications  Legitimate purpose of fulfilling our role as a membership charity 
Photographs and video footage  Consent from students participating 
Conduct statistical analyses and impact assessments  Legitimate purpose of ensuring that Union services meet the needs of our members 

 

Personal data released to third parties 

Specific purposes  Legal basis 
To close family or next of kin and emergency services where there is an emergency situation such as illness or serious injury  Processing necessary to protect vital interest of our students or for the legitimate purpose of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students 
To research partners to administer surveys and conduct statistical analyses to plan and improve membership activities  Legitimate interest of statistical purposes and business planning 
To the police or other statutory and regulatory bodies where it relates to the investigation or disclosure of a potential crime or national security matters such as Benefits or Tax Inspectors, UK Visas & Immigrations and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 

Processing necessary for the performance of a task in the public interest, namely prevention and detection of crime 

 
To the University, statutory and regulatory bodies in the case of concern about harm to themselves or others  Processing necessary for the legitimate purpose of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students
To the National Governing Bodies for Sport and the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) governing body  Legitimate interest of facilitating student participation in national and regional sport and BUCS competitions 
To The Union’s insurers in respect of accidents or incidents occurring within The Union and auditors and external regulators such as the Health and Safety Executive 

Legitimate purpose of managing our insurance claims or reporting such incidents to auditors. 

Disclosures of sensitive personal data in this context will be made where explicit consent has been obtained, disclosure is in the substantial public interest or where necessary for establishment, exercise or defence of legal claim 
Advice Centre advocacy and representation  Legitimate purpose of administering client casework. 
To direct mail and marketing companies who may assist The Union in the administration of communications to new students.  Processing is necessary for the legitimate purpose of communicating with members about benefits, services, activities and events. 
To organisations providing banking and online payment processing services.  Legitimate purpose of engaging third parties to process and manage The Union’s financial transactions 
To IT providers delivering externally hosted IT services or products to The Union.  Legitimate purpose of providing access to online information and services and managing business operations 
To volunteer organisations who have registered and advertised opportunities via our volunteering service.  Consent of students who register with the service and apply for advertised volunteering opportunities.
To HM Revenue & Customs and other government bodies as required by law  To fulfil our legal obligation 
To providers of staff benefits such as pensions, salary sacrifice or occupational sick pay schemes  To fulfil our legal obligations and employment contracts