Pot Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 and "Unite" http://www.unitetheunion.org.uk Who both seem to dabble in the IT side of things, Unite seem to dabble in pretty much everything and have lots of members, can't seem them pulling everyone out on strike though. That's who I'm with (I work in IT), seems to be throwing away £9ish each month, but I'd probably end up needing them for something, maybe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share Posted July 16, 2008 That's who I'm with (I work in IT), seems to be throwing away £9ish each month, but I'd probably end up... You should strike over the £9 charge That's a lot of cash though, don't they have over a million members too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I'm in Unite, load of to**ers to be honest. Couple of years ago our firm was destroyed by the Buncefield oil depot blast and the nearest area office for the union is about 15 miles away, well we needed their help then, ended up going back to work in a building with bits falling off it and the side wall torn off from the blast. Didn't see a soul, no support, just told how lucky we were keeping our jobs. I've paid my union dues for years and felt so let down at that time and since, thinking about coming out of it now as I can think of better things to spend a tenner a month on than that shower of shite:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannhauser Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 You're all Thatcher's children Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Most people are employed by someone else. Your employer does not have your best interests at heart: he has a business to run. If there are shareholders, they also don't have your interests at heart. In the past, as a tiny and low status worker ant, your employers could do any damn thing they wanted to you and because you had no representation, you had two choices (a) bend over or (b) starve. Collective action changed that and gave a voice to the employees. For the first time in history, people could challenge the status quo. In the USA in particular, the early unions ("wobblies") were viciously suppressed by the vested interests, backed by the police. Before unions, the only person representing your interests as an employee was you. Nobody wants a return to the 1970s, when the unions were making it impossible to generate any wealth for anyone. And there are still individual cases where the leaders seem to be making irresponsible demands.But some on here seem to be suggesting that the whole concept is redundant - to me, that's a hopelessly naive view. I can see some logic in the argument that if the economy is taking a downturn, we all have to cut back....but you could argue that unions in general try to ensure that the cutbacks aren't shouldered exclusively by the worker ants. And I think there's some justification given that 1% of the nation still has 34% of the wealth (if you take property out of the equation, see here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tannhauser Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 I can think of better things to spend a tenner a month on than that shower of shite:( £21 a month here . But I just know that if I cancel my subscription, the very next day, I will need them for something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 £21 a month here . But I just know that if I cancel my subscription, the very next day, I will need them for something. I know what you mean mate, that's the way I think, it's the fear of not having their 'support' if I drop myself in it again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steb9780 Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 We have a very strong union at BAe. I gladly pay my £9.21 a month. I average about £500 payrise each year, due to wage negotiations. They have saved my job for me and many others. You have Unions to be grateful for, for a shorter working week, paid holidays, paid sick, better working conditions and better wages. I don't just mean Union members, but the country as a whole. How else do you think people ended up with a 37 hour week being the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 What really aggrieves me is that it's the mismanagement of the government and banks which have wound us up in this mess. Who gets to bail the country out? Oh, UK businesses that's who! What's worse is that small businesses have already been hit with rises in corporation tax. We've already raised staff wages for the low earners who were screwed over by Browns bright idea to shuffle the tax brackets so they wouldn't be affected and now inflation is expected to rise to 5% everyone 'expects' at least that regardless of their performance. We're lucky to be in the right industry, but expect to see lots of others making redundancies and plenty of broken companies just in time for Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.