Trade Unions?

[Melvil]

Worth joining? Any good?

 

[Disgruntled Goat]

Depends what you do and which trade union. Joining UNISON was one of the best things I ever did as they supported me when I was being systematically bullied by my employer.

 

[SamNichols]

I was in Unison when I worked, although I did it more to safeguard my rights than to become a union bod.

 

[Danny]

Definitely worth joining. Unionised workers generally have better pay and conditions than those that are non unionised. Most unions can also give you access to free training and education, use their bulk buying power to negotiate preferential deals for financial products, and offer their members various other benefits.

Unison members, for example, get access to really good mortgage deals through Britania Building Society, and also get to go to the Unison holiday centre at Croyd Bay in North Devon.

Unions also campaign on a wide range of social and political issues, and one of the few lines of defence most people have to the so-called "free market".

 

[redcogs]

i never had any form of employment where i not a trade union member/activist.

The reality of a class divided world makes joining a union your number one priority. They are imperfect organisations, too often not democratic enough, frequently ineffectual, but the old slogan remains - unity is strength.

What is urgently needed in todays declining economy with an increasingly fragile industrial stage, is for a repeal of the Thatcherite anti union legislation which has severely damaged the ability of working people to protect and defend one another.

The entitlement to express solidarity with other workers is essential, and secondary picketing rights need to be quickly re-established.

 

[Trembler49]

If you are in the public sector, it is a very god idea. Elsewhere it very much depends on where you are.

If you want to be paid the same as all your colleagues, join a union. If you would prefer to be paid more for being better and working harder, then don't.


In my business, IT, it's every man or woman for themselves.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Unison members, .............................also get to go to the Unison holiday centre at Croyd Bay in North Devon.

.

Is that the old Butlins camp?

 

[Danny]

If you want to be paid the same as all your colleagues, join a union. If you would prefer to be paid more for being better and working harder, then don't.

In my business, IT, it's every man or woman for themselves.

This is simply not true. Plenty of unionised workplaces have productivity and bonus schemes of one kind or another. What unions can do is to make sure that these are fair and transparent.

I work in an IT department and most of my colleagues are unionised - thanks in no small part to the role the union played in protecting the workforce from a recent "cost saving" exercise.

And my union, Unite, represents tens of thousands of workers in the IT sector.

 

[Danny]

Is that the old Butlins camp?

Not sure - but I have to say it looked like it could have been when I drove past a few years ago

Holiday camps are not my cup of tea, but lots of people go back there year after year.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Not sure - but I have to say it looked like it could have been when I drove past a few years ago

Holiday camps are not my cup of tea, but lots of people go back there year after year.

I have this vision of trade unionists being summoned to meals by tannoy.

 

[numbnuts]

GMB were pi$$ poor when I had an accident at work

 

[cookiemonster]

Depends what you do and which trade union. Joining UNISON was one of the best things I ever did as they supported me when I was being systematically bullied by my employer.

Unions are full of self interested morons.

Unison did sweet FA when I was being bullied by my employer, NHS, twice.

No support, sod all. And the Union rep was more interested in herself than her members. I will never even consider joining a union again.

 

[cookiemonster]

If you are in the public sector, it is a very god idea. Elsewhere it very much depends on where you are.

If you want to be paid the same as all your colleagues, join a union. If you would prefer to be paid more for being better and working harder, then don't.


In my business, IT, it's every man or woman for themselves.

Sounds like my former Unison NHS rep's idea of Employeee representation.

 

[Danny]

Unions are full of self interested morons.

Unison did sweet FA when I was being bullied by my employer, NHS, twice.

No support, sod all. And the Union rep was more interested in herself than her members. I will never even consider joining a union again.

I am sorry to hear you were so badly let down, but I am not sure you can generalise from that.

Most local union reps are volunteers, and often take on a lot of extra work and responsibility Because of this you sometimes have a shortage of good people who want to come forward and become union reps.

But there are also plenty of examples of union reps who go the extra miles to support colleagues.

 

[Keith Oates]

The unions I was involved with in the UK were only there to serve their own purposes and had no pretence at trying to improve the lot of everyone!!