Worth joining a union?

Poppy1505

I work in an admin role in the NHS and wondered if anyone had found being in a union helpful or not. I'm considering joining but weighing up the benefits compared to the monthly cost. TIA

Neil_Jones

A union is one of those things where if you had an issue at work and you weren't in the union, you'd wish you were in it.  But when you don't have an issue at work and you are in the union, you wonder why you're in it.

It tends to come in useful if on the odd occasion things deteriorate to a point where you go on strike, start waving placards around and form a picket line.  If you're not a union member and you join the picket line you're protected (as I understand it) from unfair dismissal as if you were a union member.  However legally (again AFAIK) you cannot go on strike if you're not a member of a union and if you strike (unofficially) you're not protected from unfair dismissal.  Somebody else will come along and clarify I'm sure.

Other pros and cons:

https://www.simpsonmillar.co.uk/media/what-are-the-benefits-of-being-a-trade-union-member-in-uk/

homersimpson246

We are just going through a restructure and tupe transfer at work and the unions have been useless, all they did was tell everyone to be as awkward as possible and delay things as much as we could and be obstructive.  There was no real advice or guidance on how we could influence the process which we could (and to some extent we have).

From what i've seen they are good for individual issues between a staff member and their employer but for anything larger they are a waste of space.

marlot

Poppy1505 said:

I work in an admin role in the NHS and wondered if anyone had found being in a union helpful or not. I'm considering joining but weighing up the benefits compared to the monthly cost. TIA

Find out who your union reps would be.  What do you think of them?
I joined a union at one point, but they were completely useless.  They were much more interested in political campaigning then in representing the members on the ground.  I left after a year or so.

MovingForwards

marlot said:

Poppy1505 said:

I work in an admin role in the NHS and wondered if anyone had found being in a union helpful or not. I'm considering joining but weighing up the benefits compared to the monthly cost. TIA

Find out who your union reps would be.  What do you think of them?
I joined a union at one point, but they were completely useless.  They were much more interested in political campaigning then in representing the members on the ground.  I left after a year or so.

Totally agree with you. I'd have more confidence in a chocolate teapot than my local reps, if I ever needed assistance. Attending the meetings it's all about pay, rises and strikes.   

The money I pay for union membership could be better served going into my SIPP.

My view is any rise is better than nothing and as I'm not at the top of my banding. I've a few guaranteed years of extra money. Compared to all the years I worked in the private sector, where a payrise could be enough to buy a loaf of bread and 3 pints of milk a week eg £10pm after deductions or it could be over £1k, I'm more than happy with getting under £500py before deductions. My role isn't paid well for what I do and I will be returning to the private sector as there's too much red tape and little opportunity of progression.

I don't work for the NHS.

JReacher1

Some union memberships give you 10% off at frankie and bennies. If you go to frankie and bennies a lot then probably worth it. 

TELLIT01

It depends what you expect from a union.  Don't expect them to negotiate massive pay rises, especially in the public sector, it won't happen.  Government speaks of 'negotiating with unions' when the reality is far more along the lines if 'You want x %, well you aren't getting it.  We'll do z%, take it or leave it".  For internal issues on a 1 to 1 or small group basis they can be of use, but that depends entirely of the quality of the union rep.  I've seen some who are superb and others who simply see it as some kind of badge of office which allows them to tell others what to do.

YBR

My experience is it depends on your job and situation - I've no NHS experience.
I've seen they can be useful in individual situations, rarely in pay rise group negotiations; in a TUPE or redundancy situation they make little difference, except that union members get to know some things that others don't. 

Unions I know of have benevolent funds and access to other help should you need it, which is not mentioned above. I have this through my professional body plus an Employee Assistance Scheme so am not a union member at the moment.

happyc84

I'm a TU rep for a non-political union. If you think that collective bargaining and managing T&C's is important then please join. It's good to have someone to talk to when you are in need of help.

Our business has a TU recognised section and one that isn't. I'll let you guess which one has higher rates of pay and shorter working hours. 
Other than that it comes down to "what have the romans ever done for us " type question.

purple12

I'm a Unison Rep in the NHS so am obviously biased - so take this with the inevitable pinch of salt. I think unions are helpful because there are often restructures and reconfigurations and there is a voice there. Most of the issues that come up to the reps are relating to bullying and it's a good insurance scheme because you never know when there might be problems.  More broadly, and especially if you get involved, (this is any union btw, not specifically unison), it is a good way to network across the organisation with people in different areas. While this isn't meant to persuade you if you don't think it's for you, I like the solidarity element as well. I'm in a fairly good post and I like that I can join and support those who are at different stages of their career and we are 'one family' so to speak, whether clinical or non-clinical. A lot does depend on your reps though. 

Savvy_Sue

There was a proposal at work to downgrade my job and reduce my pay. Being able to reply that I fundamentally disagreed with their proposal and would have to consult with my union if they persisted - priceless. 

A few years later I know some of my colleagues regretted not being able to reply in similar vein.