union membership

want2bmortgage3

I am employed by royal mail and the main union is the cwu, about half the people in my office seem to be members from asking around.

however its around £100 a year for membership it doesnt seem a lot each week less than £2 a week but i'm not sure if I should join?

I dont have any problems with management and other people have told me the union dont do a lot and just look out for themselves.

Also I am not racist but I did not agree with the union telling members not to deliver election material from the bnp, as I feel every party should have the right for their material to be delivered, whether the postie likes it or not.

So what does anyone here listening thing, is union membership worth it ?

bristol_pilot

I joined the union at my place of work after a colleague was sacked because of something he was alleged to have said (he was misheard) and the union got him his job back.

eamon

I would join ( you would need to check if other unions currently operate in Royal Mail). Safety in numbers etc. I don't know if what the CWU leader or Royal Mail management say is true or not but if your job/role/position is ever threatened thats when you need an experienced & active union rep to ensure that you have the best advice. Bear in mind that the present government have been trying to sell of Royal Mail, the silence from the Tories on this issue doesn't convince me that they are yet finished with their "private sector" can do it better mantra.

custardy

want2bmortgage3 wrote: »

I am employed by royal mail and the main union is the cwu, about half the people in my office seem to be members from asking around.

however its around £100 a year for membership it doesnt seem a lot each week less than £2 a week but i'm not sure if I should join?

I dont have any problems with management and other people have told me the union dont do a lot and just look out for themselves.

Also I am not racist but I did not agree with the union telling members not to deliver election material from the bnp, as I feel every party should have the right for their material to be delivered, whether the postie likes it or not.

So what does anyone here listening thing, is union membership worth it ?

the union never told anyone not to deliver
it made workers aware of there rights regarding material they dont agree with
im a member but its more a incase i need it thing.
im no union sheep

ali-t

I have always been a member of a union but when I moved jobs last year I let it lapse. there was a period of industrial action and although I wasn't in total agreement with it I went on strike but was one of only 4 in the building who did. the general attitude from people was that they would let me and others lose days pay and they would take the wage increase if there was a positive outcome - win win for them.

My current thoughts are that it is hypocritical to join something you don't believe in (if there is industrial action for example) and just to use it as a safety net. But each to their own

sharkie

If £2 per week will mean not being able to feed milk to the baby then I would say do not join. If £2 per week means that you can only now have 11 pints on a friday eve and not 12, then I'd say join.

Working for the NHS, even some of our very senior managers are members in the union. You also have to realise that there can be times when the unions can not help, but there can be times when you are just victimised and are the scape goat and the unions may be able to help.

Personally I have been set up and given a job that was impossible to do. Even in ideal situations took 600% longer than calculated and in bad situations too 3000% longer than calculated - not my fault but the architects that designed the project were to blame but my neck was on the block due to lack of performance. The union has some negotiations and I was let free from the task. My manager got the new enhanced version of he project some 2 years later and he was also one of 15 project mangers to get fired while doing this project.

cazziebo

I would say join.

It's £100 a year as opposed to thousands in legal fees should you ever find yourself in trouble. Read through some threads on here where people don't join until something happens (perceived victimisation, dismissal, maternity rights) and the union - quite rightly - will not represent non members.

Mrs_Bones

If you can afford it, join. When I started work everyone in my place of work was in the union it was just expected but as the years went by and people left I ended up the only one in it as the younger members who got employed didn't join. A number of times I thought of leaving, thankfully I didn't, apart from a few general enquires and the voting on the pay deals for most of my years working there I didn't need them at all. When I became ill, I did and they were brilliant, helping me sort out things with my employers, I'd have been alot worse off without their help.
Think of it as an insurance scheme, it's one of them things you hope you never have to use but if you do, it's there.

jenhug

also look at what other benefits they offer, my union offers free will writing, I have had free computer courses, they do maths and english booster lessons, its not just about striking and disputes. I pay about £5 a month, and I wouldnt be without it!

DVardysShadow

ali-t wrote: »

I have always been a member of a union but when I moved jobs last year I let it lapse. there was a period of industrial action and although I wasn't in total agreement with it I went on strike but was one of only 4 in the building who did. the general attitude from people was that they would let me and others lose days pay and they would take the wage increase if there was a positive outcome - win win for them.

My current thoughts are that it is hypocritical to join something you don't believe in (if there is industrial action for example) and just to use it as a safety net. But each to their own

Equally, it is hypocritical of the others to take benefit form something they don't believe in enough to join.

ali-t

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Equally, it is hypocritical of the others to take benefit form something they don't believe in enough to join.

I totally agree with you. At the moment I am not a member of one, mainly because I didn't agree with the actions of the majority who were members.

There is no opt out for not taking the benefits but TBH if political unease was looming and it the topic was something I agreed with I would probably join up to support those affected, even if I wasn't affected.

the last industrial action I was involved in as a union memmber related to pay agreements and people were losing more pay in loss of wages through striking than they were campaigning to be awarded in additional salary - I just don't get that. People were joining a union but refusing to go on strike. What is the purpose of signing up to support something and then not following through?