Worth Joining A Union

[Blue Duck]

Descovered this morning that there may be some redundancy s in my current employment.

This is due to my employer being a complete idiot and buring his head in the sand and lossing a contact thus loosing 50% of our work.

Those who stay will have their workload increased and will have to do many different thing such as fitting toilet seats and other grimey jobs.

So would joining a union be of any help?

I reiterate my boss is a tw@ and has just hired new office staff in another part of our organisation that just so happen to all be lesbians!

 

[Technician]

Sorry to read this Blue........If I may make so bold it might be worth a

try but you have to have all your colleagues on board.  The law as it

stands is such that anyone has the right to be in, or not to be in, a

Trades Union.  If you think you can persuade them, have a go and

best of luck.

 

[Steve3948]

Factory maybe yes, anything else no.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

A few friends of mine have just joined the National Farmers Union to get 20% off  their BUPA fees + they get a 'what welly monthly' magazine.

No help to you unless you are looking for private health care :mellow:

 

[Evans Electric]

I have doubts too Ducky , unless , as said,  everyone employed there joins.   

Your redundancy payment is protected by a government scheme if firm goes mammeries up   by the way.

 

[Blue Duck]

Thanks for the replies gents

My job is safe but will probably slowly go down hill as we try to hoover up poop contracts to make up for the loss in funding

One of the office staff has to go and another Carpenter has to go but he won't go without a fight!

Its time to look for better work but may still join a union anyone got the number for NFU ?

I showed OP to a colleague he suggested that I omitted the part about the lesbians as it sounded a bit Daily Mail but I felt that it showed what a lefty tw@ my boss is, more concerned with his equal opportunities policies than people who need to make ends meet and put food on the table  :C  oh wait that sounds a bit Daily Mail....

ahhh I can't win!

Thanks again

 

[Richard-the-Ninth]

In your situation I can't see that it will be worth any of you joining. All the union can really do is bring you out on strike, which means you don't get paid.

Unless there are a few hundred of you and the majority join it is pointless as most of the time even the union is "not interested"

 

[Blue Duck]

I thought it may offer some protection but in my situation it is pointless...

Although the carpenter who is fighting is calling a meeting with bossman and our union rep.

 

[Technician]

It is not the sort of thing I really wanted to raise but many years ago,

my "union" sold me and a lot of others like me down the river.  Since

then I have never been a member of ANY union, however, when called

upon to support staff who were members I demonstrated my committment

to their cause.

I have even heard some people state in conversation that Unions should,

like other nasty organisations, be banned.  That sort of twaddle was & is 

never helpful.

 

[Sidewinder]

FWIW, I joined a union 30 years ago, and have kept my subs up, even when I was a Co. Director.

It does have certain advantages that are not at first obvious.

Funny when I was a Trade Union Member & my employees were not!

 

[Manator]

I was a member of unite, I think you had to be when I was a lad. After all they printed the electricians bible to understanding the wiring regulations. I still have some of their handbooks Technician will probably want to buy them off me

 

[Technician]

 I still have some of their handbooks Technician will probably want to buy them off me

 

[Technician]

 Technician will probably want to buy them off me

How old are they?  I was once at an antiques fair

and some company code books were on a stand.

These were carried on the bridges of Merchant

vessels.

Along with other things, these were the first to be

slung over the side should a U-boat attack lead to

a boarding by the commander who would demand

them at gun point.

 

[Nicky Tesla]

They can represent you and advise you if you are thinking of putting in a greivance.  You also can get free legal help with a solicitor.  As i recall,  free legal aid is not available for employment law cases.

 

[electro1]

yeah its totally worth it

 

[Pete10001]

As an ex TU Rep go ahead and join, problem being in the OP's case, will the union act retrospectively? what I mean by that is they may not act for you if you have joined because you have been told you may get the Spanish Archer, Elbo, ergo the bullet just something worth investigating, by the way I'm resigning my membership for various reasons, depends which Union you join mate

 

[septiclecky]

EEPTU union for electricians

EEPTU + AEU union for electricians + fitters = AEEU later Amicus

Amicus + T&G = Unite union now where electricians are a minority

 

[steptoe]

join a union

join a scheme

both a complete and utter waste of money

well, thats a lie actually, someone is making a living out of you,

bit like an agency worker really,

work your ass off and give some of your wages to keep some other numpty that doesnt give a **** about you in luxury,

up to you really if you earn more money than you need,,,,,,,

 

[Evans Electric]

I was an ETU   then EEPTU  member for years but I lost all respect for them after an incident .

I won't bore the Forum with the story other than a shouting , swearing & pushing match initiated by a shop steward at a factory ,  he takes the factory out on strike  because I won't back down,   strike threatens to spread to the car factories,    but they didn't give  a sheet about contractors , manufacturing came first , tried to throw me to the lions until I turned up at Union HQ  , produced my card which, was the same union , and demanded someone represented me as well as the strike happy prats blindly following their communist leader .  

Firm I worked for threatened to sack me because they did a huge amount of rewind work at the place , ended up sending me to take over a job up in the Potteries to get me out of the way .

 

[Technician]

 strike happy prats blindly following their communist leader .  

If I remember correctly;  and I may need to look at my books,

There was a transition period during which the Electricians

Union teamed up with the Plumbing Union.  Frank Chapple

and Eric Hammond were big noises in those days. 

I never saw it ( I was out of the country) but my Dad watched

in horror a report on television as the crowd at the Trades

Union conference burst into song with the Drunken Sailor,

to alternative words;

"What shall we do with Eric Hammond?......BURN BURN BURN

THE B*****D."............