Any union members here?

[brocklanders023]

That is the hard part, who do you complain about when your union rep is the problem, my experience has been that many, not all, close ranks

Never would myself and doubt my fellow reps would. Happens too much with management at our spot.

I have represented people I didn't agree with and have represented members making complaints against friends and/or union colleagues. If I felt I could not represent all members in a professional manner regardless of the situation I would pack it in. Don't get paid for it so no skin off my nose.

 

[Kingswood]

if it wasnt for the union movement and the organisation of labour we'd still be working 364 days a year for a didlum day out!

unfortunately todays workforce seems to be more self focused - scared even - and numbers have dropped. not helped by recent Tory rule.

i see my union as insurance, same as the car and house. hope i never need it but when i do i'm happy its there.

 

[ORS]

Tangentially related - maybe - but something seriously needs fixing for the rapidly increasing millions of us currently involved with employment agencies on zero hours 'contracts'. None, or reduced hours = no or reduced wages with the subsequent knock-on effects.

Is there any union representation agency workers (in my case the lucrative Scot's whisky industry) have recourse to when it's abundantly clear that quite often, for instance, when essential PPE (mandated by H+S regs) is consistently deemed 'not available, I'll go check but go start the glass run on line 3, pal...) and you wait hours for a pair of friggin' safety specs and have to sign for them! It's sharp practice, indeed, by both the employer and 'the management' that inevitably leads to entrenched company employee vs. agency friction and often an immediate pi**-poor working relationship despite, very often, having better immediately transferable skills.

I'm not going to mention wage rates - maybe another topic - or the vast difference between agency employee pay rates vs. agency hiring rates but I'm kinda reliably informed that zero hours folks get less than half. Brilliant economics, eh?: so whilst diplomats and UK and Scottish Ministers fly around the globe flogging the product internationally, much of it's profitability is directly based on minimum wage and zero-hours exploitation.

Simple questions, really: do unions recognise cheap second-class labour problems and would union membership make any difference?

 

[Piperdave]

Ex ASLEF and current RCN. Would not feel safe without union representation. Bosses can just do what they please without the checks and balance of Unions.