#21

As someone who was considering joining for the first time it seemed like a lot, but in the grander scheme of things it’s not really. I guess it’s one of those things you only really see the benefit of when you need it. I pay for private medical care through work, never used it in 5 years (touch wood) but it’s there.
I don’t know if the company has a rep or anything and I’m not aware of any colleagues who are members of a TU. Might look into it again if things start to look ominous in the coming months/economic climate.

#22

I could get on board with joining NEU! tbh tbf…

Yeah, fuck those guys and the way they messed with Frodo…

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#23

Just read this back and to be clear: if I was an academic, or a teacher, or in the public sector then I would join a union quicker than you can say “erosion of employment rights”

#24

Yeah think it’s a much more obvious thing for public sector workers

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#25

Thought about joining the NUJ when I was doing that sort of work, but they seemed really incompetent. Also gave the impression that their main goal was to placate workers just enough with meaningless benefits so as to avoid any actual industrial action. Pay in publishing is rediculously low given the profits publishers make, and that never seemed to be addressed.

#26

You’re quite rude and angry. I don’t enjoy any interaction with you, so please stop replying to me.

#27

Hospitality. I guess If I had a complaint and used a union they’d not give me hours. Probably not a bad thing.

#28

Sure, if you stop trailing your dogshit through the threads I happen to pay attention to.

#29

Quite fancy joining the Teamsters. Those guys seem to know how to handle themselves

#30

No, there should be no caveats around asking someone not to directly abuse and bully them on here. I have asked that you don’t do that, you should oblige.
I don’t feel unions have any utility, sway or power to assist me in the workplace in my role. Maybe they do for other people who can say that in this thread.

#31

Well I’m a lifelong public sector worker so obviously unions have been quite visible throughout my career.

For the last decade I’ve worked for one organisation that is fairly well-known for its strong unions. What I have noticed over the years is a distinct deterioration in their influence throughout the organisation, and in tandem with this has come noticeable change in working practices. It is considerably more insidious than simply having one’s employment rights binned; what happens is that the continuous search for “efficiency” and “progress” always disguises a slight erosion of working conditions and rights, and eventually I have no doubt it will deteriorate to the point that new recruits will take the same view that many gig-economy workers do now: namely that you do whatever you’re asked to and if you’re lucky you get paid for it.

And I don’t think that’s healthy for the workforce or indeed for the organisation. Smart people don’t stay in organisations that don’t value them. What you’re left with are no-hopers and ambitious kids who’ll leave when something better turns up. The unions here have their faults, but they used to provide a useful buffer against the management’s instinct to take the shortest path to results.

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#32

Respect is a two-way street. You can’t post stuff which is either thoughtless or designed to provoke a reaction, and then bleat about being bullied and abused when you get it.

I am pleased you’ve climbed down from your previous statement that “Unions are often pretty pointless/useless tbh” and offered a more nuanced one here though, so consider your request taken under consideration.

#33

I think it was clumsily worded but I inferred from @Im_On_Safari’s initial post that they were specifically talking about their industry/workplace, rather than unions in general.

#34

Shit, I forgot to sign up to our one! Definitely need to.

#35

I’m quite happy to be paying into something that’s standing up for employment rights in general, even if I never personally have to use it. There were some pretty shady dismissals at my work a few years ago that were fought strongly by the union and ended with those involved getting some undisclosed settlement and the employer getting some pretty bad PR. If there weren’t people supporting/paying into the union that behavior by the employer would probably have gone unchecked.

#36

Aye. I’m debating about how long to stay in my current one for these kinds of reasons. My employer doesnt recognise unions, so that side is kind of a moot point other than if I wanted a representative in a dispute, but we’re having the constant erosion of pay and benefits while HR are treating us like children by claiming they’re “simplifying and improving” our package. It’s less the reduction of benefits that gets me and more the fact that HR are treating us like idiots who can’t see that it’s just cost cutting at its most basic.

#37

Oooh… Just raised something with my union rep for the first time. Quite looking forward to seeing what happens, as it’s about the Chief Exec being a turbocunt and piling a GIANT new project on a ton of staff, many of whom are already suffering from stress-related illnesses.

Fight the machine, etc…

#38

A guy at work who I never thought of as joining a trade union just joined one.
There was a physical fight at work between him and somebody who’ll never get fired. Might join one too, then if we’re all doing it.

#39

Update: I joined too. :bread: :rose:

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