Join a Union.

[Herr Tubthumper]

You hate all unions because of a bad experience with one. That is not as well considered as it might be.

Unions are vital in making sure that the rights of working people are sensibly maintained. Without them, there will be no security, no rights. I don't want the poverty gap to increase further, but it will.

Some Unions have not covered themselves with glory, but in general, their role is more important than it ever was.

Very much this.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I'm not sure I follow your point?

That the unions you list are the ones that cause the most inconvenience to the public - i.e. they have the greatest blackmail cards.

 

[vegster]

As was pointed out somewhere the other day, Unions have to have a vote which gives a majority decision of all its members in order to take industrial action yet the Tory government claims to have the right to govern the country with a vote percentage of 36.9 % on a turnout of 66% !.... this is just 25% of the electorate.

 

[RexCathedra]

Who among us:

a.) doesn't feel grateful just for the privilege of working, regardless of the wages, hours or conditions? (I know my forelock is ready to come completely off from all the tugging.)
b.) doesn't relish having ability to just walk into the C-suites and negotiate those wages, hours and conditions one-on-one, mano-a-mano, with the big cheese, in the most manly possible way?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

You hate all unions because of a bad experience with one. That is not as well considered as it might be.

Unions are vital in making sure that the rights of working people are sensibly maintained. Without them, there will be no security, no rights. I don't want the poverty gap to increase further, but it will.

Some Unions have not covered themselves with glory, but in general, their role is more important than it ever was.

Well maybe I should send an invoice to the idiot railways union that have now cost my company an extra £500 thanks to their up and coming strike ? I will never support an organisation that uses blackmail to get what it wants and it is for that reason I have crossed half a dozen picket lines happily in the past.

EDIT - and I'd rather pay a professional employment lawyer to stand up for me than the part time amateurs you get from a union.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The problem being Unions are political. If they were real unions then they wouldn't be affiliated to any political party. Then they might actually be seen to represent their members.

Why can't a body or other single entity support a political party which if feels best serves it's aims? Your post seems very undemocratic.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

That the unions you list are the ones that cause the most inconvenience to the public - i.e. they have the greatest blackmail cards.

Possibly. But what has this got to do with my comment about being admirable and professional?

 

[vegster]

Well maybe I should send an invoice to the idiot railways union that have now cost my company an extra £500 thanks to their up and coming strike ? I will never support an organisation that uses blackmail to get what it wants and it is for that reason I have crossed half a dozen picket lines happily in the past.

That is a matter for your own conscience, hopefully you won't get shat on and require a Union to support you... mind you, it could be a valuable experience for you if you were.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Why can't a body or other single entity support a political party which if feels best serves it's aims? Your post seems very undemocratic.

Unions should be there to represent their members not a political party.

 

[wellquickwoody]

My partner had a cast iron case against her employer, UNISON rep was a total waste of space, couldn't even be arsed to return calls to him. When push came to shove, and we demonstrated we would take legal action if necessary, the employer caved in and offered EVERYTHING we had been asking for.

The union? Nowhere to be seen, utter wxxkers.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Well maybe I should send an invoice to the idiot railways union that have now cost my company an extra £500 thanks to their up and coming strike ? I will never support an organisation that uses blackmail to get what it wants and it is for that reason I have crossed half a dozen picket lines happily in the past.

EDIT - and I'd rather pay a professional employment lawyer to stand up for me than the part time amateurs you get from a union.

Perhaps it is the fat cats in charge of businesses who should pay your bills? It is not blackmail, it is refusing to be treated in a way that is disrespectful and suggests that the ordinary person should just doff their cap and do as they are told.

Sod that.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

That is a matter for your own conscience, hopefully you won't get shat on and require a Union to support you... mind you, it could be a valuable experience for you if you were.

I've been shat on and I've used lawyers ... the two times I've had to use lawyers have cost me about £500 in total - covered by my then employers. In comparison if I'd been a member of Unite for my whole career I'd have paid over £4k and their legal advice is shite. Lawyers will always get you a better deal.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Perhaps it is the fat cats in charge of businesses who should pay your bills? It is not blackmail, it is refusing to be treated in a way that is disrespectful and suggests that the ordinary person should just doff their cap and do as they are told.

Sod that.

Of course it's blackmail - give us what we want or we'll punish your customers - how is that not blackmail ?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Unions should be there to represent their members not a political party.

If the union is supporting a party which furthers it's members interests then I'd say they are representing their members.

 

[vegster]

Of course it's blackmail - give us what we want or we'll punish your customers - how is that not blackmail ?

No worse than " Times are hard, I'm afraid we can't offer you a pay rise again this year, however, remember that you are lucky to have a job "

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Of course it's blackmail - give us what we want or we'll punish your customers - how is that not blackmail ?

Or...we will do what we are told, you can screw us over, and we will stay in our place - we know our place, how dare we aspire for more?

If workers were treated properly they wouldn't have to fight for their rights.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

No worse than " Times are hard, I'm afraid we can't offer you a pay rise again this year, however, remember that you are lucky to have a job "

Quite.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I've been shat on and I've used lawyers ... the two times I've had to use lawyers have cost me about £500 in total - covered by my then employers. In comparison if I'd been a member of Unite for my whole career I'd have paid over £4k and their legal advice is shite. Lawyers will always get you a better deal.

Maybe. But being in a union is not always just about you, which is all your posts seem to be about. Thankfully others see the benefit of membership, and standing together, and the simple fact the company knows there's a union in place probably keeps a number of potential issues in check. I will guess that you've probably been the beneficiary of a unions actions even though you don't join one. I'm grateful others don't have the same self-centred attitude that you seem to have.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I will guess that you've probably been the beneficiary of a unions actions even though you don't join one.

Nope, I haven't - never worked in a business that has been unionised.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Maybe. But being in a union is not always just about you, which is all your posts seem to be about. Thankfully others see the benefit of membership, and standing together, and the simple fact the company knows there's a union in place probably keeps a number of potential issues in check. I will guess that you've probably been the beneficiary of a unions actions even though you don't join one.

And there it is. That is what it is all about. We need to stand together, fight for all our rights, but the unions have been tarred as the enemy within because their actions may make life 'inconvenient' for a day.

Wake up.