Would you join a union?

For those TSRers who are working, would you or have you considered joining a union? If you have considered it and decided not to, what did you consider the biggest obstacle?

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Reply 1

Rakas21

Original post by MostUncivilised

For those TSRers who are working, would you or have you considered joining a union? If you have considered it and decided not to, what did you consider the biggest obstacle?

I would never join a union because whilst i have no issue with collective bargaining i consider strikes and the government protection that surrounds them to be abhorrent and could not be affiliated with such an organization if i wished to keep my dignity.

Reply 2

scriggy

No! I'll elaborate tomorrow

Reply 3

malteser87

Original post by MostUncivilised

For those TSRers who are working, would you or have you considered joining a union? If you have considered it and decided not to, what did you consider the biggest obstacle?

Yes. You have no protection without a union- and the union will always give you advice. I've been a member of a union and currently I'm not a member- not currently working. I've had advice from unions before, they've informed me of my rights for things and they provide legal services for you if you need it. A lot of people wouldn't join because they're not informed about what unions do and that's one reason why working conditions leave a lot to be desired in the UK. In my time in the UK I've noticed workers are given mountains of work to be done in a short amount of time. In Ireland, they'd not get away with that. Unions stand up for the workers and say no- people need a life too outside of work! Unions work compromises and strikes etc are a last resort when all other options have been exhausted. Your union is there to stand up for you. Don't forget that- but they can't if you're not a member. The more people who join unions the better.

Reply 4

L i b

I don't really have a problem with organised labour in theory - but the reality of it is that most unions are fronts for far-left politics. They needn't be. Equally young, middle class people are generally quite happy to put in long hours and to work hard in order to progress early in their careers.

I'm a member of the Law Society of Scotland, which I suppose is vaguely a trade unon in some ways.

Reply 5

moregano

I used to be a fairly hardcore right winger and I'm in a union now (and a pretty notorious one at that). I'm willing to elaborate on why when it's not 5.45am.

Reply 6

malteser87

Original post by L i b

It's not working long hours to further your career I'm talking about. It's when you have a job and they're forcing you to work far more than you had to initially, without anymore pay. Or even the pay cuts + longer hours/more work. This is not for career advancement- it's to take advantage of employees you already have so it doesn't cost you more.

Best example I can think if right now is cleaning hotel rooms (not a glamorous job and paid minimum wage). A few years ago they'd be expected to clean 14 hotel rooms in a day @ minimum wage. Working hours in general between 8-8:30 till 4-4:30. On top of that they've to clean the halls of the hotel too and fill their pantry with fresh linen. Not too bad and all rooms generally cleaned by 3pm. So they kinda get about 15-30 mins per room and it easily takes that long to clean.
Now however they're expected to clean 24 rooms on the same wage, same hours, same expectations about the quality of the clean and who is there to protect them?

A union could stand up and argue over increased workload and unrealistic expectations there. The law society is like a union for lawyers, as are the actuarial society and various accounting ones etc. Not everyone is so lucky to have a professional regulatory body to set out employment rights and regulations and that is where unions come in.

Reply 7

sugarmouse

I joined one before going self-employed. To be fair to them they were very helpful-but they couldn't stop me being sacked. However I loved being in one-for the most part they were very helpful.I would recommend joining one .

No.

I used to work in a franchise of a well-know fast food company. The law states that if you have over a certain number of employees, you must recognise a union or help in the election of a employee representative.
Management at the store convinced many people that if they joined a union, they would be fired(although that would be completely illegal) and instead of helping elect a rep, they appointed one(who was a floor manager). Within a small group of employees, I became the de facto rep.
The problem with these types of businesses is that they have no shame in taking advantage of employs that have no clue about their rights.

To answer the question: Yes.

Reply 10

Kibalchich

Original post by Rakas21

Yet no doubt you'd happily accept better terms and conditions won by unions. We have a word for people like you.

Reply 11

Kibalchich

Original post by L i b

When i was doing my shop steward training with Unite, there was a tory on the course as well as people with no particular politics. Unions are not far left. They are reformist not revolutionary.

Reply 12

Genocidal

I'm already in a union. I haven't really had much use for them as of yet, but because it's a writers union I get a magazine through every so often which is fun to read. And the newsletter I get every week is good for finding new opportunities.

Reply 13

username402722

I would if I thought they were relevant to the job that I did.

Reply 14

Kibalchich

If you're in a job that has a collective bargaining agreement with a union, its your moral duty to join the union. Otherwise you're benefitting without contributing.

Reply 15

CRIKEY12

If you are working with children at all and a union is a possibility, I would always say Yes join a union. You may be surprised how litigeous our society has become. Court costs are expensive. People are quick to sue to get the money they think they deserve. I suppose the same could be said if you are public facing at all. So for protection and for access to the best legal departments you would not be able to afford on your own, JOIN A UNION. (esp Teachers, student support workers, teaching assistants, lab technicians)

Reply 16

InnerTemple

I would if I could. At the moment I am a member of various bodies which kind of do the things a union would do... albeit less effectively. I think they are very important, and will probably become more so.

Reply 17

a729

Original post by Kibalchich

If you're in a job that has a collective bargaining agreement with a union, its your moral duty to join the union. Otherwise you're benefitting without contributing.

Not if the union is overly militant-think RMT with Bob Crow and the forever striking tube drivers who will earn 52k by 2015! For only 35 hours work a week and free travel for themselves and their family!

Never mind you would be forced to directly or indirectly fund the Labour party and Bob Crow's ironically high salary!