The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 6 letter word GREECE
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
G
R
E
E
C
E
More clues leading to the result GREECE
- Country match starting late by church
- Report of oil in this country
- Heard musical bouzouki-playing here?
- Almost new church in the country
- The country’s broadcast smear
- Union member‘s smear reported
- Early flight for holiday destination, often
- Fat, it is said, of the land
- Country needing drastic cuts? Some agree, certainly
- Bust area covered in filigree? Certainly!
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Union member" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case union member = greece.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.