Advice about proposed strike please...

wik

I work part-time and am not a member of a union, I was asked today if i am a union member today by my manager, as there is a proposed strike on 30th November, which is a day I work, and that I may have to cross a picket line to get into work ...
I have never had to do this before, and am a bit worried about it.

Any advice would be welcome please.
wik x

DVardysShadow

Safest place to be is in the union and on strike. Assuming you agree with the strike issue.

scheming_gypsy

Second safest is nowhere near the place; so if you're not in the union, try and get out of working that day.

wik

well when I am back in office next week I shall ask for more details about the reason for it.

I know I should be a union memeber, but I am half way through an IVA and I just cant afford to join at moment

I work outside the office a lot, so may be able to take myself out of the way on the 30th. I just hate the idea of confrontation..

I am a firemans daughter, and still remember the awfulness of when there was the big strike when I was a teenager.

scheming_gypsy

It depends on the strike to be honest, things like the miners strike were a really big issue so there were BIG fall outs if people crossed the picket line.
Reading your second post reminded me that I was in a similar position in 2009 when i was working at the NHS pensions agency. I turned up one day and they were striking, as I was driving into the car park they asked if i was joining the strike, I told them I was a contractor so not part of the union etc etc and they had no issue with me going through but asked if i'd wear a sticker to show i supported the strike.

DVardysShadow

I take it that this is the public sector strike re pensions.

If you are opposed on principle, then obviously you must do what your conscience tells you. But if you broadly support the strike, want to be a member, but you have not joined, it puts you in the worst position, because if you do support the strike, you will have no support if the employer sanctions you in any way, but if you don't, then you may find it difficult to join the union later. Personally, I would say that with an IVA, you should be no more criticised for joining a union than for paying a bus fare to get to work.

SarEl

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

Second safest is nowhere near the place; so if you're not in the union, try and get out of working that day.

Great idea. Unfortunately the OP is a public sector worker I would bet (since they are the ones on strike!) and public sector employers are clever. Unless you have booked leave before strike action is called - which off the top of my head I think was sometime in September, then any leave request for that day is refused, and unless you turn up to work your pay is docked as if you were on strike - on strike or not! And before anyone suggests going sick - same applies. Public sector employers have been ruthless in the past about docking pay for anyone not in work on a strike day. Amazingly, since public sector workers have rarely actually gone on strike!

SarEl

DVardysShadow wrote: »

I take it that this is the public sector strike re pensions.

If you are opposed on principle, then obviously you must do what your conscience tells you. But if you broadly support the strike, want to be a member, but you have not joined, it puts you in the worst position, because if you do support the strike, you will have no support if the employer sanctions you in any way, but if you don't, then you may find it difficult to join the union later. Personally, I would say that with an IVA, you should be no more criticised for joining a union than for paying a bus fare to get to work.

Whilst I agree in principle, I think you will find that in practice your employers will not sanction anyone - other than docking pay for the day - whether in the union or not.They generally don't. Buit if you want to join - as a part-time worker your monthly fee would be very little unless you happen to be a very well paid part-time worker - which I suspect is not the case!

wik

SarEl... you have hit nail on head, and I only found out about it today, I am also only contracted to work a tuesday, wednesday and thursday and this falls on a wednesday, and I am also booked to do a particular job on that day, so I hope I can avoid going to the office, as I dont want to offend anyone.

I shall also ask my IVA peeps about union memebership for the future.. but I cant see how I can add it to my budget

SarEl

wik wrote: »

I shall also ask my IVA peeps about union memebership for the future.. but I cant see how I can add it to my budget

I believe that they have no choice - I think union membership stands in the same category as professional fees and is an allowable expense. And given your financial circumstances you stand in need of it - you can ill afford to lose your job.

By the way - my regards to your father. I recall both firemens strikes (I am older than you!) - the first of which was particularly harsh on the firemen. I spent many happy (if slightly damned cold at times) early mornings and evenings on their picket lines and they were a wonderful group of men, stringly supported on both occasions by the general public who held them in very high esteem - quite rightly.

wik

<blushes> i was talking about the 1st one as well!!

and yes there were good bits of it - the food parcels from well wishers... but also the bad bit - when you were a kid at a school that had a lot of 'well to do kids' who knew your dad was on strike - and made your life horrid - and also thier parents who were as horrid in the street...