Is Fórsa Trade Union membership fees worth it for Public sector employees

KJK1LL3R

I joined the Fórsa Trade Union when I moved to the Republic back in 2020. Initially I worked in the Civil Service and then I moved to a job with a Local Authority but have remained a member throughout. At the moment the membership is costing me nearly €400 per year and I'm still on the fence about the value of this. The majority of my colleagues are not members and most of them feel it is a waste of money particular as public sector workers because in the end we will all be treated the exact same regardless of membership or not. For example if future pay rises come into effect, we will all get them no matter if we are members of a trade union or not.

Nonetheless I thought maybe trade union membership might still be worth it due to some of the other perks and benefits/rewards that are usually associated with group schemes. But I have to be honest I am not really noticing perks of much significance as for example when I recently needed car insurance, I ended up getting a far better deal by just shopping around on comparison websites compared to the prices I was quoted by different group schemes. I have income protection with a forsa group scheme through cornmarket but I would imagine if I shopped around I might also find better deals elsewhere, particularly as my forsa income protection scheme with the local authority is costing 1.99% of gross salary compared to my previous civil service scheme which was only 0.99%.

I am on the fence about potentially cancelling my membership but I would be keen to hear some thoughts on the subject to see what others feel about things as perhaps the are various other factors that I haven't thought to consider.

Jim_Hodge

Totally up to you but who negotiates those pay rises you say you'll get anyway?

Quitelife

Everyone in the workplace should be in their union and be prepared to be a shop steward if needed .

unionised workplaces have better terms of employment than non unionised workplaces in my experience. Slightly better pay rises , sick pay , holidays etc

thefallingman

No they do f all, I quit years ago and it’s made zero difference

AyeGer

If everyone leaves these unions what will happen? Do you think the government will hand out pay rises willy nilly. What will happen to working conditions. Did your hours reduce in July? Who got that for the workers? A few in my workplace have left too but they are just piggy backing on those of us who do pay.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624305#Comment_119624305

Did you get any pay rises in those years since you quit? Who negotiated those?

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624340#Comment_119624340

After consulting a td you can’t be left out of any pay rises if not in a union , so you go ahead and pay for your union, who by the way didn’t lose any of their wages or flexi time. Absolute waste of money that subscription

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624371#Comment_119624371

You are missing the point, there will be tiny payrises or no payrises to go to your TD about. They are generally negotiated by the unions.

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624379#Comment_119624379

Of course there will with people like you paying their subscriptions out of fear. Cheers

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624404#Comment_119624404

Its nothing to do with fear its an understanding of how pay and conditions are achieved in the PS. Which you didn't seem to understand.

Btw that's the response i was expecting. So long as you now know what your co workers really think of you scabbing off them.

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624410#Comment_119624410

scabbing 😂 you realise it’s not mandatory 😂 good luck to you

Being in a Union is always worth the cost of it. For all workers, no matter if you are in the private, public, or semi-state. I'd suggest doing a bit of research into the leadership and politics of the union you are joining. Practicalities over politics.

SouthWesterly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119624446#Comment_119624446

I was employed by a company who were forced into examinership thanks to union intransigence. 300 jobs lost. The negotiator went on to be General Secretary of the Union.

thefallingman

Well op you have heard both sides of the coin here, just take note when you leave the union they will again try and threaten you with the line, well if you leave you cant come back, and they will make you send a letter in to leave that they will take an age to process, so i cut them off at the source. I left about ten years ago and saved probably 4 grand in that time. Good luck to anyone who can afford to pay that for nothing.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625107#Comment_119625107

Nothing is very unfair - shop stewards have a major say in what goes on in any union so why didn’t you represent your colleagues?

if everyone leaves the union like yourself it’s music to the ear of most employers and you will see a gradual erosion of many terms and conditions you presently enjoy plus pay increases will be slightly less plus any individual dispute you may have will fall back on you yourself to solve which can be very stressful and challenging. You can be fired at the drop of a hat too particularly in private industry

Non unionised employers like Amazon are not pretty places to work . Dignity for the employee doesn’t exist .

Dyr

Take it from someone who spent a couple of decades as a shop steward, trade union membership is really only beneficial if you have to take your employer to the WRC and maybe if you wind up in a disciplinary process.

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625169#Comment_119625169

I've saved 4 grand by leaving, shop stewards have zero power in my experience. But it's a choice we all have i don't want any argument although getting called a scab on this thread was funny.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625169#Comment_119625169

And that particular poster gained more than the 4 grand again due to the unions negotiating pay rises. Those pay rises wouldn’t have happened if everyone did as he did and left the union.

If he had been on the titanic he’d have been trampling on women and childrens heads to get on the boats 😂😂

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625958#Comment_119625958

no need to get personal and act like a bully in the schoolyard, exactly how the unions and shop stewards act. Just for transparency Ger, are you a shop steward ? Might i remind you the union is optional.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625967#Comment_119625967

No not a shop steward, just someone who has worked in a non unionised company before joining the PS. The pay and conditions went down hill even in the 3 years I worked in that company.

I can see what is coming down the tracks in the public service if everyone leaves the union. It will result in worsening of our pay and conditions.

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626013#Comment_119626013

Unrealistically dramatic to think everyone will leave Ger

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626049#Comment_119626049

I don’t think everyone will leave, because there will always be people like me who will pay the dues. I just think it’s unfair that others piggyback on our dues and reap the benefit of union negotiated pay rises and improvement in working conditions and hours. I’d love to have that extra money in my account too every month but somebody has to pay.

GNWoodd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119625107#Comment_119625107

Each and every public servant should be a member of and be proud to be a member of a union . Union membership has served public servants well in the last thirty years . They have the best conditions of any employees . That didn’t happen by accident . Yes there are people who don’t or won’t be members but those misers are everywhere. If your sub is € 400 pa you and the grade to which you are attached aren’t doing too bad .

One only has to look at how farmers have been treated by processors etc to see where the lack of collective bargaining has led during the same thirty years.

thefallingman

Ger you really are going over yourself here riddled with fear. You have also resorted to calling me names which is really uncalled for and further weakens your already weak argument. Again, it's optional. You look after you. For the op and any newcomer reading this thread, i'd be shocked if they took heed of your scaremongering. But good luck to you i think the op has enough here to decide.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626166#Comment_119626166

You sound like a selfish self centred git reading your posts, the ME ME ME type and couldnt care about anyone else.

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626195#Comment_119626195

wow more personal attacks, not very good at discussion are we.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626206#Comment_119626206

Goodbye

thefallingman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626238#Comment_119626238

Exactly what i said to the union 10 years ago and i'm 4 grand better off.

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119626195#Comment_119626195

Completely unwilling to face up to the reality that he has benefited from pay and conditions negotiated by unions he lets his co-workers pay for. The penny is finally dropping though and that is why he is sort of gloating about being 4 grand better off. He is actually much better off than 4 grand due to the work of the unions he won’t bother paying for.

Anyway I’ve banged that drum enough. I’ve made my point on it.

jaffa20

Is there any health insurance discount from Union membership?

MarkR

My Unite membership is 18.83 a month. I googled "Unite Union Benefits", but it seems to divert to a UK site. I know I should stay in the Union, but as someone said, the people who aren't in it still get the benefit. 😐️