Unions at work

JustBen

JustBen

JustBen

Soldato
Joined
14 May 2007
Posts
2,818
Location
Cumbria
Hello

Long story short here...
Our union at work is quite frankly rubbish,
i've queried with management if we can use another union theyve advised no
We're (colleagues at work theres <10 in our department) not happy with the working conditions and want something done.

I know you cannot strike without a union which leaves us in a rubbish situation.

Can i join any union i want? I work in IT but the company is a large outsourcing company dealing in many different sectors.

Any advise?
 
You should only transfer to unions who have an recognition agreement with that employer. Otherwise they cannot collectively bargain on your behalf.

Remember that as an associative group, and not a service, unions are only as good as their members. For many workplace issues there isn't legislation that can be thrown at the employer for an instant fix. In such situations you need to ensure your departmental colleagues (and other affected employees) are recruited and willing to take action so you are in a stronger position to get what you want.
 
Why is your union rubbish? Have you met with a rep and what did they say? You can join any union you want, or not join one at all but imo a recognised union would be better.
 
What's wrong with your working conditions ?

Is your union Unite ?

always4lora said:
Hello

Long story short here...
Our union at work is quite frankly rubbish,
i've queried with management if we can use another union theyve advised no
We're (colleagues at work theres <10 in our department) not happy with the working conditions and want something done.

I know you cannot strike without a union which leaves us in a rubbish situation.

Can i join any union i want? I work in IT but the company is a large outsourcing company dealing in many different sectors.

Any advise?
Click to expand...
 
I have often wondered why Unions are considered Legal/acceptable? ;) ;)

Consider...

If a Plumber/Electrician/Mobile Mechanic got together with other Plumbers/Electricians/Mobile Mechanics to agree on the minimum conditions they were prepared to work under (Hourly rates, Days off, that sort of thing) then it would be called "price fixing" and they could be severely punished!

If a Train driver/Office manager/Machinist gets together with other Train Drivers/Office managers/Machinists to agree on the minimum conditions they were prepared to work under (Hourly rates, Days off, that sort of thing) it is called a Union and is not only considered acceptable practice. It is considered (More or less) a Human Right!

Why is one considered OK and the other a criminal offence??

:confused:
 
beamer said:
What's wrong with your working conditions ?

Is your union Unite ?
Click to expand...

Overworked, treat badly by management . Generally the guys are stressed constantly. Sooner or later they'll just have people going off on stress.

Previously our union have shown no backbone, even when strike was balloted (for the general buisness wasn't anything affecting myself) and people wanted strike they decided against it.
We've had people on our team clearly pushed out the door and bullied, unison rep didn't turn up half of the time for any of the meetings he requested and those with management.
 
Orionaut said:
If a Plumber/Electrician/Mobile Mechanic got together with other Plumbers/Electricians/Mobile Mechanics to agree on the minimum conditions they were prepared to work under (Hourly rates, Days off, that sort of thing) then it would be called "price fixing" and they could be severely punished!
Click to expand...

If, however, all the Plumbers/Electricians/Mobile Mechanics who worked for the same company got together to agree on... it'd be fine
 
This OP. The quicker people leave the company, the quicker the company will go under and be replaced by one that treats the employees with respect and provides fair working conditions.

ci_newman said:
You work in IT. There are thousands of other IT jobs out there, go find one of those instead.
Click to expand...
 
beamer said:
This OP. The quicker people leave the company, the quicker the company will go under and be replaced by one that treats the employees with respect and provides fair working conditions.
Click to expand...



Meanwhile, back in the real world... Companies do not go under just because people leave them (10% turnover of staff per year is about average), nor do they go under because they treat staff badly. Even if they did, there's no evidence that this would make other companies behave any better: if it did, there would be no Unions in the first place.


As for the OP: why is the Union there "rubbish"? Because they won't do what you want? Won't support you when you are clearly wrong? Won't demand a huge pay rise they know the company can't afford? You say the working conditions are bad - in what way? What if anything could a Union, in theory, do about it? If they know there's nothing they can force through, they may well choose not to fight - particularly if they know that there's a bigger issue brewing. Generally people will only strike if they are desperate, so the Union needs to make sure it's a fight that people are prepared to have. There's no point in the Union threatening the managers with a strike if the managers know perfectly well the workforce won't hold one.
 
always4lora said:
Overworked, treat badly by management . Generally the guys are stressed constantly. Sooner or later they'll just have people going off on stress.
Click to expand...

Resign, go and find a nicer job.

Bringing in new people will cost the company money in HR and training etc. And then they'll resign. Rinse and repeat a couple of times and the company will soon get the message. If they don't change their ways it will rinse and repeat a few more times before they then go bust.

beamer said:
This OP. The quicker people leave the company, the quicker the company will go under and be replaced by one that treats the employees with respect and provides fair working conditions.
Click to expand...
+1
 
Orionaut said:
I have often wondered why Unions are considered Legal/acceptable? ;) ;)

Consider...

If a Plumber/Electrician/Mobile Mechanic got together with other Plumbers/Electricians/Mobile Mechanics to agree on the minimum conditions they were prepared to work under (Hourly rates, Days off, that sort of thing) then it would be called "price fixing" and they could be severely punished!

If a Train driver/Office manager/Machinist gets together with other Train Drivers/Office managers/Machinists to agree on the minimum conditions they were prepared to work under (Hourly rates, Days off, that sort of thing) it is called a Union and is not only considered acceptable practice. It is considered (More or less) a Human Right!

Why is one considered OK and the other a criminal offence??

:confused:
Click to expand...

Because the first group are not employed, they most likely limited companies from which they sell a service. They charge what they like, work the hours they choose, and don't have to take on work if they don't want to.

The second group are employed and will not have much if any input on how much they are paid, what hours they work.
 
Get you and the other members to do a vote of no confidence on the rep and get it sent to the union. You guys pay your subs for the representation and if the person doing it sucks get another rep.
 
Whilst I've never been part of a union I've worked in industries that were heavily unionised. My last company the GMB were the union.

I think they're ok for helping negotiate fair terms and conditions for staff - however only as far as there's no **** taking. If it gets to the stage of the tail wagging the dog and unions dictating what the management will or won't do then for me that's too far. However, helpings in getting representation and ensuring no exploitation occurs then it's all good. It's a fine balance and if working synergistically can enhance a company further than one without one.

As for the OP I don't know if a union will help being stressed and working hard is pretty normal - have you spoken to your manager about it? If your union aren't supporting you it might be because they haven't deemed anything as necessary for action - rather than throwing your toys out of the pram you need to understand why they won't support you. Is there anything that can be done about it at all?
 
SHEDDER1uk said:
Get you and the other members to do a vote of no confidence on the rep and get it sent to the union. You guys pay your subs for the representation and if the person doing it sucks get another rep.
Click to expand...

This a Union like all clubs is only as good as it's members, if your rep isn't doing the job tell the rep, if the rep still isn't doing his job go over his head you pay your fee's so have your say. Union membership iisn't a something for nothing deal you need to put something in if you want to get something back.
 
In 99% of cases, being unhappy with working conditions means the staff will shortly hold the employer to ransom to increase pay. If you are unhappy with your lot, and you work in IT, head on over to one of the numerous job sites and start applying. Surely you don't want to work for an employer who doesn't respect its employees, do you?
 
ci_newman said:
You work in IT. There are thousands of other IT jobs out there, go find one of those instead.
Click to expand...

Easier said than done sometimes, around where I live while there isn't a shortage* of job opening as such theres so many people applying for them your chances are relatively slim unless you really shine in that field.

Unfortunatly the employer will probably play on the economy/chances of getting a job elsewhere to keep people in line. "Needs of the business" card gets played a lot when the economy is down and unemployment on the rise.



* In that the number of them being advertised hasn't dried up.
 
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