To not understand why people recommend Pregnant Then Screwed?

I’d never join a union. I can manage my own affairs, my skills are very saught after and I can handle any necessary legal steps with ease. The main reason I would touch them is the utterly despicable attitude they seem to have towards women’s rights. Who in all conscience could give any money to a body fighting against your own rights? It’s inconceivable.

I’ve yet to have actual helpful advice from my union as well. They aren’t all that.

of all these services can only offer generic advice. To properly look into your case, take a witness statement, review any paper evidence etc takes a lot of time which is not what they do. You need an employment solicitor

I rang PTS after my maternity cover got the promotion I had been working for for 4 years. They had zero experience before being my cover and then I returned to work to work for them, they were a man.

apparently I had no case. I didn’t find them useful

You can get part tax relief for subscriptions for some unions. I think it changes your PAYE code.

Wow, that's steep.

Mine's just over £8.

I am and will always be a union member (wise in my profession) but even as a part-timer it's over £20 a month. I know it's not loads but I can see why some people on a low salary wouldn't want to pay that much.

@SaffronsMadAboutMeexact- the union rep I got was a misogynistic cunt and I deserved better. But you said it was on me for using him, it wasn’t, it was on him for not doing his job. Unions seem to be faith based belief systems, rather than, you know, effective organisations supporting workers rights.

HR do work for the employer. But very often protecting the company also means the right outcome for the employee. Avoiding discrimination IS protecting the company.

HR work for the employer and are essentially in place to protect the company's interests.

I work for a union and I've seen some shocking behaviour from HR people over the years (not all, of course).

OP, would recommend you join a union for the future, but unfortunately they probably wouldn't be able to assist as the issue pre-dates you joining. Unless you're already in one.

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with PTS... They are never going to be able to fulfil the role of an individual caseworker that you would get with a union.

We ensured we had legal cover on house insurance that would include employment law.

🤣🤣🤣 dh and I tried our different unions through company mergers and they were utterly useless. Never again.

This is how pro-Union people always are.

There are over 6 million union members in the UK so I'd say your statement reflects a little strangely on you.

It didn't work out for you and that's a shame but there are plenty of others for whom it has.

As a former employment tribunal adjudicator, I would never recommend joining a union.

@SaffronsMadAboutMe so it was my fault? 😂😂😂This is how pro-Union people always are. Deflect, defend, avoid, attack.

No, he should have represented me and not lied and behaved in a way that led a public sector organisation to make a huge payout at the tax payers expense. I didn't work with this man, I was not informed of any conflict. I called and asked for advice and was told he was the best person for the job, he called me and we had an appointment and then he went to my boss, who I had no idea he even knew, behind my back.

I paid about a gtand to see a Barrister and did my own research when I was being made redundant and upon return from mat leave. Depending on if you are going after a claim thrn it can be financiallg worth while to seek proper legal advice. It was for me. But I honestly did the leg work myself and settled out of court.
I honestly would try to get a good understanding of the legal side of what your issue is yourself as noone will advocate for you better than yourself. You can then speak to acas, etc and challenge them.
Don't be passive and accept what you are told.
I went to town in my employer and settled for a years salary.

Only join a union if you don't mind paying money to an organisation to campaign to take away your lawful rights:

https://congress.tuc.org.uk/motion-07-supreme-court-ruling-active-support-for-trans-and-non-binary-workers/#sthash.5GYFiPNB.dpbs

The unions don't give a shit about women

Then you should've chosen a different rep.

You don't automatically have to use one you work with, as it can often be seen as a conflict of interest.

Not only do they message me weekly for check ins and also did check in on me daily when I was going through really rough HG. They gave me legal advice too x

Contact pregnancy sickness support they have been absolutely brilliant with me x

There’s not a union for every type of job! OP’s best course of action is ACAS!

If you want actual bona fide advice, you’d be better off posting on the Legal board rather than in AIBU.

Aren’t they a free to call organisation? I didn’t realise they took on specific cases, I thought they were more of a general advice sort of place.

I did this and paid my dues, believed the hype. When I was demoted for being pregnant my Union rep, who was mates with my Manager through the 'old boys network' handed him my file, helped him forge documents and basically assisted the manager in his bullying. I managed to secure evidence of all of this and got a huge payout in 'hush money' but my experience of Unison was extreme misogyny, old boys network and gleeful email exchanges about "teaching stuck up bitches" they "are not and never will be" equal. When you look at most Unions behaviour in general it is not supportive of women at all imo. Sorry to be negative but I think it's important to be honest.