Should i cancel my union membership?

denbatt

I'm sure this has been asked before somewhere but couldn't really find it,
Basically i work in residential care for people with special need's, i work night's for the last 12 year's and have a permanent contract.
I have been an impact member for 11 years but after the last couple of years i am really starting to question what am i paying over €30pm when so many others @ work do not pay it.
My wife is also a public sector worker so the last couple of budgets have hit us pretty hard so have to see where we could save something, anything.
I would appreciate opinions on this, anyone cancel their membership in recent times?

dpofloinn

As much as I despise the unions I would be inclined to keep the membership for the only reason that the way things are going with public sector pay talks etc it is only a matter of time before the sh!t hits the fan and it could be disastrous for those outside the union(s)

denbatt

dpofloinn wrote: »

As much as I despise the unions I would be inclined to keep the membership for the only reason that the way things are going with public sector pay talks etc it is only a matter of time before the sh!t hits the fan and it could be disastrous for those outside the union(s)

Yeah. The way things are going we are getting cuts ether way tho. Union or not. The last time their was a strike back in 2001 or 2002 because of the nature of our work (Service users needing 24/7 /365 care) picketing had to be done in our own time! Need to have a good long think about this one.

dpofloinn

That's the problem front line services are caught between a very big rock and a very hard place best of luck to you what ever you decide to do

JustAThought

One of the few
Advantages this 360 spend a year gives you is a very strong safety net if anyone ever tries to dismiss you . You can claim
It was because they knew you were a member of a union & take an unfair dismissals case - even if you have not been working there a year. For this alone, I would say it is an expensive investment, but worth it.

Unless odd course you are black , a member of the " travelling community", or an illegal immigrant or social welfare cheat In which case you seem to also be automatically protected against anything you do legal or illegal and have all the states resources at your disposal. So excepting this, you should keep up those payments IMO.

CatFromHue

360 per year, wow!

I didn't know it was that much to be in a union.

denbatt

CatFromHue wrote: »

360 per year, wow!

I didn't know it was that much to be in a union.

Tell me about it,

laoch na mona

no union no voice don't cancel your membership get involved in the union

ahnowbrowncow

I don't think being in a union offers you much when you're in the public sector on a permanent contract, your job is safe so they can only protect you against cuts and more hours but as you said that's going to happen one way or another.

360 is a lot of money for very little in return. Do they even tell you how your money is spent in their annual reports?

delthedriver

Can you claim a portion of your annual membership back thro your Annual Tax form. It would be worth checking out. Every little helps:)

therecklessone

There is a great deal of employment legislation that protects you regardless of union membership or not. In addition, you cannot be targeted due to not being a union member, so if redundancies were an issue you should be treated exactly the same.

Remember that IMPACT represent your grade, so that if they negotiate changes to your terms and conditions they will apply to you also.

If industrial action is taken and you are outside the union you would be required to attend for work as normal. That can be a difficult thing to do for some people who might feel under pressure from their colleagues.

If you feel you are being poorly represented then you are right to consider your options. Before making any decision, talk to your rep to see exactly what he/she is doing to represent you.

Best of luck.

therecklessone

delthedriver wrote: »

Can you claim a portion of your annual membership back thro your Annual Tax form. It would be worth checking out. Every little helps:)

Not any more.

denbatt

Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I really am torn tbh, i will wait and see what happens over the coming weeks, but am thinking that money would be better off paying my property tax!

Mrs OBumble

JustAThought wrote: »

One of the few
Advantages this 360 spend a year gives you is a very strong safety net if anyone ever tries to dismiss you . You can claim
It was because they knew you were a member of a union & take an unfair dismissals case - even if you have not been working there a year. For this alone, I would say it is an expensive investment, but worth it.
....

This.

It's not only if someone tries to dismiss you - it's protection if you ever get into an employment dispute.

Imagine how things could go if someone raised false accusations that you had abused a client. If you're a union member, there is a structure for you to get support and legal representation. If not, then you have to foot the bill yourself - and in cases like this, you effectively are guilty until you prove you're not, so it could be very expensive.

It's easy to say "ahh, that'll never happen" - but remember that it's not about what you actually do, it's about what someone claims you did. People make false claims for all sorts of reasons.

delthedriver

therecklessone wrote: »

Not any more.

Thank you for this info.
I would still recommend that you remain a member of your Union. It is some protection in a very difficult economy and job market. Large employers can be ruthless in dealing with staff, despite the loyalty they demand and receive from their workers.. To ease the burden can you pay your sub monthly?:)

ljpg

in my opinion unions are are a waste of time and money,great people to talk the talk and at the same time do nothing,i'd sooner give the subscription to the child to buy sweets at the shop,at least you'd have some value out of it,if i had a problem at work i use the mouth god blessed me with and get it sorted myself,if i need legal advice i do some research,i dont need to pay somebody to do something i'm well capable of doing myself,people are deluded into thinking that there somehow protected or better off being in a union,at the end of the day if the sh*ts going to hit the fan it'll hit it union or not.