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are you a union member ?
Porcupine
Posts: 25,250 Forum Member
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my husband has been advised to join a union, and two unions have been suggested to him (I forget their names).
It will cost him about £12 a month to sign up.
So, my question is, what do you get from being a union member. Is it just support should you need it during disciplinary action ? Is it worth £12 a month ?
It will cost him about £12 a month to sign up.
So, my question is, what do you get from being a union member. Is it just support should you need it during disciplinary action ? Is it worth £12 a month ?
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But what do you get from being in a union. what security do they offer you ?
They've yet to get a pay rise for us (4 years since the last one - however they manage a rise for contracted staff every year) I keep telling members, if they want a rise - leave the union.
We dont know what to do really. It seems a lot of money to me, if you get nowt for it.
One of the supervisors is abhorrent. He is a tyrant. He is about 5 foot 4 and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Ben Nevis. He was in the Navy for about 2 years. He has been there for 3 years and in that space of time, nearly every worker or QA, team leader etc has put in a complaint about him, and several complaints have come from 1 person, I made 3 myself over 2 years. I am a QA.
The Union has a stack about 5 inches thick of complaints aganist this supervisor but nothing is being done. I asked my Union secretary why the Union isn't stepping in and he said "The company won't act".
Unfortunately, every single Union Representative I've come across in my 20+ Years of working life has been so bolshy and so far to the right, that they put me off completely.
What do you get from being a member of a trade union?
Well it all depends on the particular union he's intending on joining. It also depends on the relationship that union has with his employer. Some employees (Tesco for example) have an excellent proactive relationship with USDAW. Others (like Somerfield) don't even recognize them.
Some unions offer 24/7 free legal advice etc.
I joined mine for peace of mind mainly.
For many years I didn't like the Unions, I saw them as a bunch of troublemakers and moaners.
However, a number of incidents encountered by friends and relatives where it became abundantly clear that the usual HR mantra of 'People are our greatest asset' by many companies is meaningless nonsense, forced me to admit I was wrong.
So yes I am now a paid-up union member.
What you get depends on the union, but what I get is immediate legal advice over the phone on any employment issues. After 6 months membership I was entitled to a Union employee with legal training to accompany me to any meetings I felt I needed them. You also get a newsletter every month or so, and special deals on things like house insurance, car insurance that sort of thing. I think there is a wine club thing too.
The main benefit however is the fact that you can say you are in a union, which acts as a sort of Kryptonite against zealous HR people who are looking for someone to pick on. They generally don't like the idea of having to deal with someone who actually knows employment law inside out, and will hand them their *** on a plate if/when they *** up, and will tend to back off in favour of a softer target.
In this climate, more than ever before, I would heartily recommend everyone signs up to a union. £12 a month isn't much, consider it a type of insurance.
While a Union can't stop people losing their jobs, it can ensure they get the best possible deal if they do.
You can't be Bolshy and far to the right!
Bolsheviks are far to the left.
Far to the right would make you a Fascist.
Wrong thread .. think you need the 'Pedantic' thread
I have to be in a union because of my job, it would be stupid not to be.
In the NASUWT - just hope and pray they never strike, because I am 100% against that.
Besides this, workplaces with good union presence have on average around 9% higher wages. You're less likely to be made redundant if you're a member of a union. You're also part of a good local, regional, national and international support network.
To the person who asked if you can join without letting people know - you can do a direct debit direct from your bank account now, I believe.
However, the key is to have a good, strong presence in the workplace for things like collective bargaining. If there's a union going in to bargain for wage increases, aren't you better off being a member so that you can have a voice? No point in complaining if you're not going to do anything about it.
You have been watching a Party Political Broadcast on behalf of the Unison Party .. normal programming will return shortly
There has to be a middle ground with unions. To much power and you get corruption and a business cannot function properl. Not enough and the workers have no say and get walked over.
My mum's been retired for ages now, so I don't know if it's still the case (or even if they still exist) but she was a member of PAT, the Professional Association of Teachers, because they had a no-strike policy.
Wow, all the union members get £1000 if you die? Can I join?
They can't stop employees joining one though.
Nor could they stop you bringing a trained union legal representative into any disciplinary/redundancy meetings, as your 'personal advisor'.
I would say that in a company like that there would be even more reason be in a union than usual, because you know from the off that they want to trample all over their employees, and don't want them to have a collective say in anything.
I guess at least in a company that is as explicit as that in it's handbook, you know where you stand when HR start churning out the 'we are empowering our staff' and 'you are our greatest asset' gibberish.
As a previous poster has said - a balance has to be struck between the workers and the bosses.
I've been in a Union my whole working life, and before that the NUS. I was a steward in NUPE then in Unison when NUPE, NALGO and COHSE merged, and later a Branch Sec in Unison. I'm now with the T&G.
I'm not a rabid left winger or right winger, don't really care much for politics at all to be honest, but I have never trusted any of my employers to the extent that I wouldn't want someone in my corner if things got bad.
There are some right eejits in unions, especially in the full-time paid staff - the behaviour of a full-timer in Unsion was the sole reason I left them, after being a member for 20 years. But there are also some good people who work hard to get the best deals for members.
I think the litmus test would be this - if I were facing disciplinary or redundancy, would I prefer to go into a meeting by myself or with a union rep, even if they happened to be a dweeb? I'd go for the dweeb every time.