Do you belong to a Trades Union?

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Do you belong to a Trades Union?

  • Yes

    Votes: 84 57.5%
  • No

    Votes: 62 42.5%

  • Total voters
    146








Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
Used to be NUJ. Was the office rep.

Then three NUJ members on a confidential loop email among reps decided to forward some comments I made out of context to my MD.

Nice. Nothing like comradely support is there?

Which is a crying shame because, quite frankly, a decent NUJ would be fairly handy the way the media business is heading...

The NUJ have ballsed things up considerably. I remember spending the late 90s, writing articles in The Journalist and speaking at several meeting exhorting the union to start recruiting online journalists and urging the establishment of an online branch. I met a lot of ridicule from various union hacks who assured me that the Internet was a passing fad and would never be a recognised source for news.

Sadly, the same attitude held in the 80s when the union tried to resist new technology - but it didn't learn a lesson.

Still a member though - I had them on my side when I fought one employer and I know they'll be there again if necessary.
 


El Presidente

The ONLY Gay in Brighton
Helpful Moderator
Jul 5, 2003
40,013
Pattknull med Haksprut
UCU. Tried ATL but they were too much of a non-entity. Was with NUT but they were too much like lefty tree huggers so I joined the NASUWT. They were just as bad so I left them when they started sending me "Vote Labour" bollocks in the post. Joined because in the world of education you would have to be a nutter not to have some form of protection.

Joined for same reason. If a student comes out of your office in tears saying you made a pass at her you need some support. Too many dinosaurs on the committee, but as they are the only ones who put themselves forward no one else to blame apart from ourselves.

Last time we went on strike I was a SCAB (although I gave a days wages in lieu to NSPCC) as the branch secretary started laying into everyone who refused to strike, including those who were close to retirement and whose pension would have been affected by strike action. Traditionally the union had realised this and said that those members within 5 years of retirement were excused strike action, but our RED ROBBO started berating them instead.
 


HampshireSeagulls

Moulding Generation Z
Jul 19, 2005
5,264
Bedford
Personally, I think strike action in education is stupid. It affects the wrong people and does not send a good message. We actually got a (good) payrise this year after three years of marking time because the UCU reps went in and negotiated properly.

I would rather drop the curriculum for the day and explain to the students what is going on/has gone wrong and why and see what they come up with. When they realise what we get paid they are horrified anyway!

I know that some Colleges have been run as personal fiefdoms by unprincipled Principles and I can see the point of drawing a line in the sand at those, but I still think that any problems should be sorted out at those institutions by pulling on a pair of boxing gloves and going for it. Last man standing wins.
 








Jul 5, 2003
12,644
Chertsey
Royal College of Nursing over here. With all the ambulance chasers of the world the insurance cover alone is worth it.
 














beorhthelm

A. Virgo, Football Genius
Jul 21, 2003
36,023






bhaexpress

New member
Jul 7, 2003
27,627
Kent
If there was a trade union for contractors I'd join it, the only thing is though, I now have a full time job, rather to my surprise.
 




Screaming J

He'll put a spell on you
Jul 13, 2004
2,403
Exiled from the South Country
Was in one of the predecessors to PCS in the Civil Service from 1980-1989: it was called SCPS and then NUCPS. Was a bit of a Union activist in them days.

When I joined local Government I was first in NALGO which then morphed into Unison; can't remember when. So I've been in a TU for over 30 years.

However have been wondering whether to move from Unison to GMB as the local branch is run by a complete bunch of bozos.
 


Superphil

Dismember
Jul 7, 2003
25,679
In a pile of football shirts
No I am not, but well done to all of you who are. I've not had a pay rise of any sort for over 5 years, but I guess that I work in a world where if my employer cannot afford to pay us more then we all get over it and crack on, understanding that sometimes you can't get what you want, in the expectation that when the markets pick up we'll be rewarded accordingly.

But for this of you in a union, who use membership as a bargaining tool simply to get more money, good on yer. I doubt there are many 'brothers' who see membership as a means to anything else.
 








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