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I am a retired member (paying reduced subs) of a civil service union for professional and managerial staff and would certainly recommend joining.
Prospect is a union which represents professionals and specialist workers in the public and private sector. My father was a member of it in an earlier guise when it was called the Electrical and Power Engineers Association.
Depending on your particular job or sector, there may be other unions which represent professionals.
Unions can cover several areas ( bigger ones generally ) or only represent specific sectors. I am a Technician and am in Unite ( Irish branch of a UK based Union ). I have been in other Unions previously including the Irish based Union, SIPTU. I have worked in the public and private sector and have been in a Union of some kind for one or two years of my working life. I was even a local Rep for my sins!
You should always join a union. Your employer's raison d'etre is to essentially exploit you and being part of a union is just about the only way to give yourself some power to resist when that exploitation crosses a line.
Of course. They’re worth joining even if you’re in a workplace with no real union presence. At the very least, they’ll represent you should you end up in some sort of dispute with your employer, providing legal advice you’d pay a ton for if you weren’t a member.
If you’re in a unionised workplace and have a decent union, they’ll negotiate with employers for better pay and conditions.
I’m in Unison, who TBH I think are not assertive enough. I’d rather be a Unite member.
I’ve been in the CWU in the past when I was the only union member at the organisation. They were brilliant. Helped me negotiate a far better redundancy package when the organisation was trying to get rid of a load of us cheaply and unfairly.
Whilst driving my lorry on M25 I was passing a car. Without indicating he pulled into my path and we collided. My bumper did damage to his offside doors. I stopped; he drove off.
Later I was charged with 'not stopping after an accident'. The TGWU (Transport & General Workers Union) funded my defence and provided my legal 'team' of solicitor and barrister and helped me to prove my case.
You should always join a union. Your employer's raison d'etre is to essentially exploit you and being part of a union is just about the only way to give yourself some power to resist when that exploitation crosses a line.
[Post edited 11 Nov 2023 8:00]
Rubbish, you can't generalise by suggesting all employees are out to exploit.
Rubbish, you can't generalise by suggesting all employees are out to exploit.
Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? Read some critiques of capitalism, the entire economic model is based on exploiting the labour of workers and, sadly, even public bodies have adopted private sector practices that rely on exploiting the time and labour of their employees. If employers were benevolent and wanted to treat workers fairly we'd have no need for unions.
Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do? Read some critiques of capitalism, the entire economic model is based on exploiting the labour of workers and, sadly, even public bodies have adopted private sector practices that rely on exploiting the time and labour of their employees. If employers were benevolent and wanted to treat workers fairly we'd have no need for unions.
I'm not the slightest bit interested what you can do, or cannot do. I never suggested that.
I'm saying that to make a sweeping statement that all employees are out to exploit workers, is categorically wrong.
I'm not the slightest bit interested what you can do, or cannot do. I never suggested that.
I'm saying that to make a sweeping statement that all employees are out to exploit workers, is categorically wrong.
There are however, considerably more employers(and indeed, governments) out there who would adopt exploitative practices without the presences of unions.
[Post edited 11 Nov 2023 9:28]
I'm one of the people who was blamed for getting Paul Cook sacked. PM for the full post.
I'm not the slightest bit interested what you can do, or cannot do. I never suggested that.
I'm saying that to make a sweeping statement that all employees are out to exploit workers, is categorically wrong.
That's not what you said. And I disagree with you. And you've offered nothing to support your position other than assertion. As I said, read some critiques of capitalism and come back to me, the entire system is based on exploiting the labour of workers. That you don't understand this does not mean it is not so.
You should always join a union. Your employer's raison d'etre is to essentially exploit you and being part of a union is just about the only way to give yourself some power to resist when that exploitation crosses a line.
[Post edited 11 Nov 2023 8:00]
Of course, there are many employers who default to this definition of exploit:
"make use of (a situation) in a way considered unfair or underhand"
and rather fewer who confine themselves to this one
"make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource)".
But whoever the employer there is more to be gained, from both employer and employee perspective, in a collective bargaining situation and as many have pointed out, in the case of conflict. a TU will have more resources available than an individual can muster.
Of course, there are many employers who default to this definition of exploit:
"make use of (a situation) in a way considered unfair or underhand"
and rather fewer who confine themselves to this one
"make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource)".
But whoever the employer there is more to be gained, from both employer and employee perspective, in a collective bargaining situation and as many have pointed out, in the case of conflict. a TU will have more resources available than an individual can muster.
The only thing that puts me off is that every union rep(s) anywhere I’ve worked have always been weirdos or pillocks. They serve a valuable purpose though.
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