To join a Trade Union or not?

rebel.ranter

OK the company I work for have been playing silly beggars with us recently & there are major changes afoot.
Up to last year they were a very good company to work for but in the last year things have been getting very underhanded & I do not trust the senior management team to give the appropritate level of respect and dilligence to the employees.
I have never been a member of trade union & up until very recently the company have never had any dealings with a union.

Now I feel like we are going to be walked all over with only the bare legal minimums met (& some sneaky circumventing too). So can anybody tell me good reasons why I should or indeed why I should no join a union?

There is a TUPE situation arising.
I am in a vunerable position in many regards & would like to ensure that the best outcome arises.

homah_7ft

I'm not sure what the Tupe is that you are referring to. Answering you in general I would say in your situation a joining a union is a good idea. One of the biggest things they could bring is experience. They have dealt with every kind of situation at least once. They can go to bat on your behalf if it comes down to a major crunch and they know the legislation inside out. Of course it's more advantageous to join en masse. Good luck and I hope things improve at your work.

dermCu

I was in exactly the same position a few years ago. Must say that I had no great desire to join a union up to that point but I felt that along with my colleagues we were almost forced into it.

The outsourcing never happened in the end but as a direct result of joining the union we got a company wide pay rise handed down from a ruling by the labour court.

If you don’t trust senior management your only other option is to obtain legal advice. This could end up being fairly pricy (even with a group involved) and to be honest the unions are far better at this game.

rebel.ranter

See the hyperlink on the word TUPE to see what it means, basically they are outsourcing our whole department to another company, TUPE is a legal fulfillment that both companies legally must do certain things to allow this to happpen (Transfer of undertakings).
There are already en masse movements to join the union already & there are substantial numbers joined.

The Doktor

Hi Rebel Ranter,
I have a funny feeling we are both being outsourced by the same people!
I think the danger is that senior management cannot be trusted one bit. I feel people will get shafted big time when they move over to the new company. Already I am hearing misinformation comming from upper middle management telling us what we are and are not entitled to.
I fear that if people dont stick together, and arent talking to each other it will be easier for the management to do what they like, as they have done in the past.
They have already done things to staff members enmasse, that because they fed them bull**** and the staff didnt seek advice and believed the bull****, the got company got their way.
I was in a similar boat to you, I never liked the idea of a union, but i think in this situation they could be very useful.

rebel.ranter

Well doktor I am currently in a role that I think the new company does not have in it's sytem (have more or less guessed who it is, it is looking like 2 companies will share the outsource arrangement). I'm also based away from HQ so I am in a doubly vunerable position.
I am not confident that people will be treated right, it seems as if we are as replaceable/dosposable as the hardware that is being upgraded right now.

The Doktor

Im in a similar position (as are a lot of others), where I am not based in the HQ. Also I think my position could be possibly replaced by existing staff/contractors working for the new company.
We have been asked to trust the management... I wouldnt believe the radio in their office!!
What annoys me most is over the years I have worked in the company, I have often put the company`s service to customers over my own life, safety and family in order to keep the service for the customer going. As have a lot of others! I think that people have had an extreme sense of pride working where they do... and for what? ...
pm me if ya wanna know a bit more about the union. Im a member meself...

Raskolnikov

I'm just curious, would you guys be involved in the mobile telecoms sector by any chance?

Wishbone Ash

rebel.ranter wrote:

There are already en masse movements to join the union already & there are substantial numbers joined.

As a long term trade union member I have to say that I am always a bit annoyed when employees only seek to join a union when in a crisis situation. It's a bit like seeking to get a house insured just before a storm and makes a mockery of those of us who have been paying our subs all along.

BTW, an employer is under no obligation to recognise a trade union.

rebel.ranter

Wishbone Ash wrote:

As a long term trade union member I have to say that I am always a bit annoyed when employees only seek to join a union when in a crisis situation. It's a bit like seeking to get a house insured just before a storm and makes a mockery of those of us who have been paying our subs all along.

BTW, an employer is under no obligation to recognise a trade union.

I realise your frustration in relation to joining after the horse has bolted, but there is a number of people members of the union for a while now. Maybe me adding my membership will add weight tot their (& my) cause? This is my first job, I have had it for 8 years & the idea of joining a Trade Union never came up. The companies that will eventualy be taking over all same strong union representation in them so I would imagine I will be approached then anyway. What benefit is the union in this case? Once I join I am likly to remain a member for as long as I am in the industry so I will probably be giving out about the likes of me in a few years :rolleyes:

the_syco

Wishbone Ash wrote:

As a long term trade union member I have to say that I am always a bit annoyed when employees only seek to join a union when in a crisis situation.

Fair balls for joining a union, but even when our balls were to the wall, we only able to get a few to join. SIPTU needed 50% at least to represent us. Have since left said company (got offered a better job), and I've found out that all but 3 people have also left said cinema.

You may not like it, but untill a gun is pointed at your wallet, most people don't see the benifit of joining a union.

The Doktor

Wishbone Ash wrote:

As a long term trade union member I have to say that I am always a bit annoyed when employees only seek to join a union when in a crisis situation. It's a bit like seeking to get a house insured just before a storm and makes a mockery of those of us who have been paying our subs all along.

BTW, an employer is under no obligation to recognise a trade union.

I see where you are comming from, however as a member of a union for a couple of years, I would welcome people who want to join up now. I also dont have an issue with people who dont join, and still see benefits from it being there.
I can see why people dont join until they need a union, they just dont think of it!
In this situation the more people who join the better, cos at least then they are talking to each other and it is less likely that people get shafted by the company!

wexfordman

Wishbone Ash wrote:

As a long term trade union member I have to say that I am always a bit annoyed when employees only seek to join a union when in a crisis situation. It's a bit like seeking to get a house insured just before a storm and makes a mockery of those of us who have been paying our subs all along.

BTW, an employer is under no obligation to recognise a trade union.

Well, perhaps its because unions give themselves a bad rep overall, or are not the best at promoting themselves. I am 16 years in my industry, and up till recently have had no involvment with unions. My only interaction with a union was once in my last employment, receiving a letter from them in the post with a direct debit for memebership, that was it, not why should I join, or what the benefits were, just a direct debit form!!!

Wexfordman

Anna23

I had problems in work and I mean big ones, I was being picked on by my manager, and brought to HR, coming up wil all sort of silly things so that I get a warning an leave, I was in the union cwu and I do not regret it at all. after dealing with HR, besides the fact that I didnt get a warning or anything my boss made a compelte a ss of himself in front of HR, two days later I handed in my resignation to which my manager was very surprized he started shaking in the meeting, he said I will give you a raise and we can forget this ever happened, I agreed to do so, the truth is everything stopped for 2 months and then my supervisor started, all I had to do was meet with the union rep and make sure the management will see it, believe it or not, they are the "nicest fake" ppl I have ever worked with!!!

so do join a Union, you will not regret it, trust me!!!