no subject

[taimatsu]

I have received, at work, an information pack about and an invitation to join Unison (the public service union).

I know next to nothing about trades unions, how they work, or why I might or might not want to join one. I would like to hear more about them. Please tell me all you know and your opinions on the matter.

Comments

[claire-smith.livejournal.com]

I have no opinion on the subject, but somebody who does is Verity from Archives. She can tell you good things about trades unions, and specifically how they might relate to you and your job. :)

[taimatsu]

I know she does, but she would be speaking from the standpoint of someone who is an active union official. I was particularly wondering if there were any reasons why someone might *not* want to join a union, which she'd be unlikely to mention :) I might talk to her, though, once I've had another think about it.

It's not as if my work environment is inimical to union activity - we had half the senior management on strike the other week, after all...

[sesquipedality.livejournal.com]

Yes. Join. The biggest mistake I made at $academentia was not joining a union, since they would've come down like a tonne of bricks on management for pulling the shit on me that they did.

[mirabehn.livejournal.com]

Ah! What a gorgeous photo! :)

My Mum was in Unison for many years, when she worked for Hitchin library. Can ask her about it if you like?

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Trade Unions are ace. Everyone should join one, they'll give you legal representation if you get sacked, and do you deals on insurance and things. Erm. They can be quite pricey, see if you can get a youth rate or a temp rate. Also obviously in a matter of no time you'll start getting invited to meetings, unless you're me in which case no chance mate. Of course then they'll campaign against stuff you don't actually care about, and expect you to be involved, and some union officials practically make a job telling the public sector that it's there for the benefit of its employees not the, er, public. But all the same.

Here we go.

http://www.unison.org.uk/join/unionbenefits.asp

[softfruit.livejournal.com]

Yeah, what beingjdc said. Unions are a vair important part of western civilisation. You can also opt out of part of your membership being given straight to the Labour party nowadays, which used to be a compulsory part of TU membership.

Anyway, I'm being the pot calling the kettle as I've still not got round to joining one appropriate to my main job. *fx:sound of finger being removed from bum*

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

You can also opt out of part of your membership being given straight to the Labour party nowadays

Sssh! Don't tell her. Why would she want to do a silly thing like that?

[softfruit.livejournal.com]

What's the size limit on one of these little lj-posting boxes again?

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

*reads interests*. Ah, I see where this is going. Probably big enough to fit something like

'because I believe there is any example in history of a successful labour movement existing without political representation, and I believe that if I give money to the labour party then that makes me as good as a war criminal, so please can I have opinions about stuff but not place myself in a position of actually having to make proper decisions'.

*walks slowly backwards and hides behind big wall, while secretly preparing the Long List Of What Liberals Actually Do In Power*

[borusa.livejournal.com]

Have you ever heard Phil Ochs' song "Love me, I'm a liberal."

http://users.powernet.co.uk/hack/sleaze/love_me_liberal.html

From the intro on the live recording...

"In every American community you have varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals. An outspoken group on many subjects - ten degrees to the left of center in good times, and ten degrees to the right of center if it affects them personally."

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Once upon a time Liberator had the Liberal Songbook online, but I think no longer... you can buy it for three quid. I guess not even the radical faction is immune from the profit motive.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

But it did contain this gem (http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22losing+deposits+with+me%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&selm=FmN2ILA8SXCzEwWf%40rigbys.demon.co.uk&rnum=1).

[lovingboth]

Several of them are starting to see that 'no one consults a cashpoint machine' though...

[juliet]

I'd recommend joining one. Several reasons offhand:
* It's a bit like insurance. If anything goes wrong in your job (difficulty with a manager, workplace bullying, other screwings-over) you will be better off if you have the union backing you. You'll get access to support from someone who has at least some training, & if necessary you can get the full-time paid union rep in, who will have had more training. Obviously, you hope this won't happen, hence insurance.
* Your workplace will likely have some sort of pay negotiation setup with the union. As a union member, you should get an input into the sort of offer the union are asking for, & the sort of offer they accept. As a non-member, you won't.
* Assorted fringe benefits.
* Unions get workers better deals. Chances are you can benefit from these deals anyway (pay & conditions negotiations deal with all workers, not just union members), but unions are stronger, & thus better able to negotiate for you, when they have more members.

Those are the selfish reasons. There are, obviously, ideological reasons as well (about solidarity & suchlike). I recommend listening to Billy Bragg singing "There Is Power In A Union", & see if you don't find yourself signing the form forthwith ;-)

[disclaimer: I am a union rep at my place of work - T&G. But then, I'm a union member because I think it's a good thing, so the above still holds.]

[spikydavid.livejournal.com]

<Conservative>
A trade union is an organisation (whose rights are enshrined in law) that represent a group of workers in one or more companies. They represent the workers to the employers on things like pay, benefits and disciplinary matters. They are able to do this by virtue of the fact that all members of a trade union agree to do whatever the trade union ask them to do, so the trade union can wield some actual power.

The practicalities of this vary wildly depending on the union and the employer. One thing worth noting is that trade unions only matter if a large proportion of the work force belong, so it is always in the interests of existing union members to get new employees to join the union. Please see such anachronistic terms as "Closed Shop" for further details on this.

You'd want to join if:

You think you're going to be sacked.
You want to pretend you can influence pay negotiations.
You feel strongly about solidarity and workers' rights.
You want to give money to the Labour Party.

You might not want to join if:

You want to keep your money.
You want to make your own independent decisions about what you do at work.
</Conservative>

[kathminchin.livejournal.com]

Try having a chat with Mike Sweeney from Oxford as well.

Some unions are great. However (I'm working for a defence association and insurance company) they can still give bad advice (we're dealing with such a case right now.) A lot of the problems can be caused by untrained reps, or by the fact that a lot of the reps are volunteers and so have to fit it inbetween work. But the good they can do certainly outweighs the bad on an individual basis.

However, don't forget that even if you don't join them if you have employment issues they will still often help. Things like providing a representative for disciplinary meetings etc. If your employer doesn't allow you to have such a rep and it goes to an industrial tribunal then the employer will find themselves very much at a disadvantage.

A lot of people go "union - they'll tell you to go on strike a lot" and their views are coloured by things like teacher / miners / firemen (depending on age) strikes. However, striking is the last option, and the unions do a lot of good for workers in general.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I'm curious as to what happens if a union tells its members to go on strike (or take whatever other form of industrial action) and some of them don't do it (because they disagree with it, rather than because they've been intimidated or something).

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

this (http://www.acronet.net/~robokopp/english/blackleg.htm).

[vampwillow]

what they said above, but the most important thing (imho) is that it gives you somewhere to push back from if the powers that be want to ride roughshod over the agreed relationship with the unions.

Some years ago I moved to Cardiff to become the Chief Electrician at the Sherman Theatre. When I arrived I was told by my staff that the production manager (ie. 'management') had tried to increase their hours by an extra EIGHT HOURS a week for NO extra money. At that point - luckily - they managed to prevent it, but management were still trying. I asked why they hadn't got the union involved - the theatre being a member of the TMA (Theatre Manager's Association) and thus a signatory of the TMA-BECTU (union) deal on hours, payrates, etc. and the said they weren't members.

The next day I contacted the union (I was already a member) and got forms sent down. Even thogh I left that place is now a fully-unionised place and the staff get a fair deal.

That is why people should be part of a collective - part of a Union.