Worth joining a union?

antonic

I am a PCS Rep in a Government Department where the majority of PCS Members have voted in favour of a fundamental reform of Terms & Conditions in return for a 13% payrise over 3 years.
Non-members where offered the chance to join PCS ( and leave immediately once they have voted)  to have a vote on the offer , because under Collective Baragaining only Union Members could vote, some didn`t and are now complaining because of the changes that come in on 1st June.
On a personal level I have needed Union help 3 times - one was a Gross Misconduct Charge - for which I was cleared.
I treat my Union subs as an insurance policy but it`s only you who decide if it`s worth joining a Union.

Jude57

I'd add that it's worth bearing in mind that your workplace reps will, in most cases, be unpaid volunteers who stood for election to the post. They will be offered training by the Union, often over weekends, evenings and online. The employer will only usually allow them the bare minimum of 'facility time' for Union activities and will certainly expect the reps' day job to be unaffected. This tends to mean lots of work done for members outside business hours.

It's true that some workplace reps are useless but the majority will be people who want to support their members and work hard for little reward and less thanks. Throughout my working life I've seen excellent reps make a real and continuing difference for their members but it is true that you get the reps you vote for. Don't like the local rep? Step up and become a rep yourself, or at least lend a hand in your Union branch. A Union is only as strong as its members. Failing that, as a member you can call on the services of full time regional officers.

I'd always consider joining a Union as the same as home insurance. You may never need to claim but it's reassuring to know you have it.

Finally, a plea to any Union members reading this: Make regular contact with your workplace rep and keep them up to speed on workplace issues. Please don't leave it until the morning of your disciplinary meeting to seek Union help!

Emmia

I have to say my experience with PCS is entirely negative - I've seen a couple of reps engaging in behaviour which I would describe as threatening. 

Mickey666

I was a member of the Students Union in the late 70s and vividly remember being put off by all the political activism and class warfare aspects when all I wanted was for them to organise good gigs   More seriously I was also put off by their 'de-platforming' (as it is now called) of certain people who came to give talks and lectures, because of their political affiliations.  Democracy in action eh?  But hey, students are expected to be a rabble so it was no big deal.

Then I started work in the 80s, against a back-drop of the serious industrial unrest of the 1970s where many unions seemed not to have outgrown their student days and continued their main aim of class warfare and, of course, getting rid of the hated Thatcher.  So from my perspective, unions seems more akin to a political movement than an employee one and since I've always been somewhat apolitical I never did get around to joining a workplace union.

I assume that things have changed a lot since those 'glory days' when unions had the power to ruin entire industries with their ridiculous demands (UK car manufacturing, coal mining, etc), but I can't recall many of their 'political' victories as being particularly long-lasting.  They might have fought and won many battles but looking at the employment landscape today they don't seem to have won any wars.

There's little doubt in my mind that the concept of workplace unions is a good one and that their origins were well-founded in the days when employees had so few legal rights, so collective bargaining (and threats of strike action) were the only tools they had to defend themselves.  But times have changed and we now have masses of industrial and employment laws giving a wide range of rights to employees and this has, inevitably reduced the need for unions - which should, I suppose, be regarded as a good thing.

TELLIT01

antonic said:

I am a PCS Rep in a Government Department where the majority of PCS Members have voted in favour of a fundamental reform of Terms & Conditions in return for a 13% payrise over 3 years.

During my last full year at DWP staff were given the options of a slightly larger, but still small, payrise but agreeing to extending the working day to 6:30 pm and working late on a rota, or a lesser payrise and remaining on existing t&c.  I chose to remain on current t&c because I prefer to get the working day over with, not kick my heels at home for a couple of hours and because my wife worked locally for another company and we shared transport.  The additional travel costs would have far outweighed the payrise.

Once colleague did beat the system.  They accepted the change in hours to get the payrise and then reminded them that, due to a medical condition, she could not work late.  The medical condition was known to the department and the 'early work' requirement had been in place for years. 

happyc84

can anyone list any benefits to not being in a trade union?
For £17 per month its money well spent for me.

TELLIT01

happyc84 said:

can anyone list any benefits to not being in a trade union?
For £17 per month its money well spent for me.

£204 extra in your pocket each year.  Until I worked in the public sector for the final 7 years of my working life I never felt the need of union membership.  I saw how destructive unions were in the 70s and 80s and wanted no part of them.  On the basis of 40 years not paying union membership I saved about £8000 at todays rate.

happyc84

try this link
What are the Benefits of Being a Trade Union Member in UK? (simpsonmillar.co.uk)

happyc84

In my view the worst people are those who don't pay their dues and expect others to carry them.
Had a few non-members who were happy to take the benefit of collective bargaining, interesting that when their individual circumstances changed they were the first ones looking for help. 

tower

I look on being in a union like an insurance policy, it’s there but you hope not to use it. Saying that mine is pretty useless, great for political posturing but little else. Back in the day my section at work was being closed down and outsourced, basically the union did nothing (bigger fish to fry). A colleague took up the fight, meeting senior management explaining our worth to the company, and earning a reprieve. Next union publication they boasted how the won the day.