Going on strike whilst on probation

Horace

Can you afford to lose a day's pay? You will certainly lose a day's pay for striking, you are on probation and you need to consider whether or not your job is worth more to you than the union.

PCS like calling strikes when in reality there is more than one way to skin a cat such as working to rule which causes a bit more disruption than a walk out where you don't get paid. Will the union support you when you are in need and maybe facing the sack at the end of your probationary period - somehow I don't think that they will.

KME91

if you are in a union and your union calls a strike then you should support it. Unions are not third party insurance companies, only to be called in when you have a problem at work. They are a unified group of workers sticking together to try and make the working conditions fair and better for everyone. Their only strength is in people standing together.

And you cannot be fired for participating in strike action so long as the action is legal. That is called trade union victimisation and is one of the few laws left that protects trade union members.
And yes I am a PCS member and rep.

KME91

Horace wrote: »

Will the union support you when you are in need and maybe facing the sack at the end of your probationary period - somehow I don't think that they will.

Actually yes they will. I spend a large part of my time as a rep doing just that.

Pete111

Mr_Falling_Star wrote: »

It will not affect your probation

If it does and you can prove it you can claim unlimited damages against the employer

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:


Oh dear. Someones been watching too much Ally Mcbeal...

bezzza

KME91 wrote: »

Actually yes they will. I spend a large part of my time as a rep doing just that.

What? You spend a large amount of your time defending new employees who have no understanding of what the union are fighting for at that moment in time - as most probationary periods are 3-6 months in length I would think they should be exempt from having to take part in strike action (unless you plan to strike about probationers losing their jobs because they took part in strikes - I think not!). What about the poor employees in their jobs less than a year where they have few rights and are often let go - whilst they will not say it was because they took part in strike action I would feel any excuse would suffice! What sort of union forces people to take part in strikes? Unions do exactly the same as management - they squeeze the employee into making the decision they want - who wins? Certainly not the employee!

Welshwoofs

bj_of_bristol wrote: »

I agree with others that you should speak to your nearest PCS rep for advice. After all we are trying to protect our terms and condition of service as after the election which ever party are in government they are going to get rid of tens of thousands more civil servants, and they want to do it as cheap as possible.

Power to the people.

The reason the next Government, no matter which party creates it, will need to get rid of civil service jobs is because it's a bloated leviathan weighted down with needless layers of management and endless beaurocracy and because the overly-generous pension terms are a crippling burden and tend to annoy the electorate working in the private sector working who don't have the luxury of such gold-plated benefits as final salary pensions and get a little bit miffed at being forced to contribute to somebody else's.

OP - if you strike during your probation period over something which doesn't interest you anyway then you are mad and I hope you don't return to complain when you fail your probation.

Fridge3

KME91 wrote: »

Actually yes they will. I spend a large part of my time as a rep doing just that.

So, PCS create a situation that places a new employee at risk, then spend more time trying to defend a breach of contract created by your own action. All charged to the public purse.:cool:

ETA - be sure to vote on both polls

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2348267

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2353245

CrashUK

tsimehC wrote: »

I've been working for almost 6 months now and my probation period is coming to a close. However, I am in the PCS union and there will be a national strike on Wednesday which I feel I must go on as I didn't on the last one and felt I was letting down my union colleagues as well as been overloaded with work on the last strike day.

My question is, can my employer use my strike action (which will count as a disciplinary and an unauthorised absence) against my probation and cause me to fail it as a result? Since I started work I've had no absences and have performed above the minimum requirements (not that there were many). I feel pressured to come in on Wednesday like before but this time I know that I'll be taken advantage of again and have more reason to join the strike even if it doesn't concern me that much.

Thanks for any helpful insights in advance.

talk to the union and tell them where you stand.. If you lose your job that will not help the union at all.

KME91

bezzza wrote: »

What? You spend a large amount of your time defending new employees who have no understanding of what the union are fighting for at that moment in time - as most probationary periods are 3-6 months in length I would think they should be exempt from having to take part in strike action (unless you plan to strike about probationers losing their jobs because they took part in strikes - I think not!). What about the poor employees in their jobs less than a year where they have few rights and are often let go - whilst they will not say it was because they took part in strike action I would feel any excuse would suffice! What sort of union forces people to take part in strikes? Unions do exactly the same as management - they squeeze the employee into making the decision they want - who wins? Certainly not the employee!

I have a case on my desk right now helping a member on probation, who took part in the strike action. we will defend all of our members regardless of how long they have been employed or whatever their employment position is.

and unions don't force people to take part in strikes. union members vote in favour of strikes. or not. the union acts on the wishes of the majority of the members. if they didn't want to go out on strike they wouldn't have voted for it. they did and they are. not only did they vote for it, but every member had the chance to go to a consultation meeting to consider whether or not there should even be a ballot on strike action. this action is coming very much from the members.

as i've said on other threads being a union member isn't about picking and chosing which bits of the membership suit you. 'i'll take the representation when i have a problem, but i'll skip the bit about supporting my fellow members in times of trouble' it doesn't work like that. you want to be a member, you should commit fully to it or not bother at all.

KME91

Fridge3 wrote: »

So, PCS create a situation that places a new employee at risk, then spend more time trying to defend a breach of contract created by your own action. All charged to the public purse.:cool:

ETA - be sure to vote on both polls

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2348267

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2353245

PCS hasn't created any situation. the government created the situation when they tried to shaft hundreds of thousands of poorly paid workers.

those members asked to be ballotted for strike action, and the members voted in favour of action. the members are now following through on the decisions they made.