Union Membership afftected?

Euro_Kraut

Today is was confirmed the tax relief for Trade Union Subs is to be ended. As of next Jan it will cost every Union member an extra €70 to be a member of a Union.

I am wondering how this might impact on Union membership. My feeling is that many people will continue to pay their subs. However, even a 10% drop in membership would be problematic for the smaller Unions. I can see some deciding that the approx. €200 per year to be saved by leaving the Union as tempting.

So do are any boards members (or your workmates) considering leaving their Union in light of today's announcement?

chelseavera

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

Today is was confirmed the tax relief for Trade Union Subs is to be ended. As of next Jan it will cost every Union member an extra €70 to be a member of a Union.

I am wondering how this might impact on Union membership. My feeling is that many people will continue to pay their subs. However, even a 10% drop in membership would be problematic for the smaller Unions. I can see some deciding that the approx. €200 per year to be saved by leaving the Union as tempting.

So do are any boards members (or your workmates) considering leaving their Union in light of today's announcement?

YES!! Even if this had not happened - they've been next to useless!

ParkRunner

It is my only voluntary deduction left but the group schemes probably are still worth hanging on in there for. It's about the only reason why I would stay.

Riskymove

tbh most people pay subs on a weekly or fortnightly basis €70 over a year is not going to change it too much,

also some unions actually reduced subs in recent years

Euro_Kraut

Riskymove wrote: »

tbh most people pay subs on a weekly or fortnightly basis €70 over a year is not going to change it too much,

Maybe not, but when people are looking for a place to save €200 or so its not a bad place to look at. Imagine a couple on 40k each realizing the could save circa €520 (base on a PSEU rate as an example) in the year by leaving the Union? It would be tempting for some.

also some unions actually reduced subs in recent years

Really? The PSEU certainly didn't. Their argument was that as wages were cut the absolute figure going to the Union (circa .62%) was also going down. Do you know what Unions dropped their Subs? I wonder will there consider doing that again to go some way towards meeting the extra cost of the membership.

As it stands Union membership is falling due to increased retirement and the lack of replacements being hired. I would be concerned that the smaller Unions could be hit by this and it could result in mergers.

buy1get1free

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

...As it stands Union membership is falling due to increased retirement and the lack of replacements being hired. I would be concerned that the smaller Unions could be hit by this and it could result in mergers.

Yeah, membership will inevitably fall as numbers at work fall. Especially in the public service. But I don't see mergers as a bad thing. IMHO there are far too many small unions and we need bigger ones to get economies of scale and make more resources available to look after members. The abolition of the tax relief on subs is a sneaky move to hamstring the unions and encourage members to leave .... just in time to weaken the unions for the next assault by the Government. My union sub costs me €28 per month and its the best value deduction I pay. I know well my pay would be far less if the union wasn't there to negotiate pay deals and other stuff. (the anti-PS brigade that hang out here know that too, why else are they always whinging about unions:rolleyes::rolleyes:)

nesf

About time that tax relief was cut, why the State should be helping to fund the unions is beyond me.

buy1get1free

nesf wrote: »

About time that tax relief was cut, why the State should be helping to fund the unions is beyond me.

Simple. Equality of arms principle. If an employer is a member of an employers organisation such as IBEC, ISME, SFA, CIF, AECI etc., their membership subscrtion is fully allowable against their top rate of income/corporation tax.

A mere €70 euro tax credit for union subs was hardly generous by comparison. And its withdrawal while leaving relief for employer body subscriptions is even more unfair.

deise blue

I would never opt to leave my union particularly in such troubled times as they continue to be a strong and influential voice when it comes to defending , in as far as possible in these times , the terms and conditions of their members.

Indeed I am aware that union membership is increasing dramatically in the Finance sector where many jobs are being threatened,

The loss of the tax relief is a small price to pay for continued union representation.

Sleepy

The taxpayer has been funding the organisations blackmailing us for far too long. One move I was very happy to see in the budget. TBH, I'd tax union subs if I could.

ntlbell

maybe the overpaid beards can take a pay cut from their obscene wages to decrease the mebership fee :eek:

ei.sdraob

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

As of next Jan it will cost every Union member an extra €70 to be a member of a Union.

points finger at the unions and laughs


on a more serious note, why the hell was union membership subsidised by the rest of us in the first place?
down with all subsidies and taxbreaks
the government shouldn't be allowed to subsidise anything all they do is create distortions in market and we all know how that ends up now dont we :mad:

---

Why dont they cut the pay of the heads of the unions like Begg

from 6 figures to something like 32K average

1. it would show solidarity
2. it would shut up these hypocrites
3. it would make for cheaper subscriptions

Riskymove

Euro_Kraut wrote: »

Maybe not, but when people are looking for a place to save €200 or so its not a bad place to look at. Imagine a couple on 40k each realizing the could save circa €520 (base on a PSEU rate as an example) in the year by leaving the Union? It would be tempting for some.

maybe some will

in my experience you get used to paying for something a bit each pay day that you take it for granted..I doubt everyone even realises the annual cost

e.g. I pay my health insurance that way, to the point where I actually dont know off the top of my head what it actually costs per annum

Really? The PSEU certainly didn't

I did not say they all did

Do you know what Unions dropped their Subs?

I only know for sure the one I am in and I'd rather not disclose that

As it stands Union membership is falling due to increased retirement and the lack of replacements being hired. I would be concerned that the smaller Unions could be hit by this and it could result in mergers.

There hav ebeen several moves to merge unions in recent years but you now also have the new breakaway frontline services union