To wonder whether it's worth joining Unison?

[BeautyBox]

I've recently started working for a local authority and am thinking of joining Unison. The reps have been friendly and given me the necessary forms and top line chat but we're pretty unconvincing otherwise.

I know people I work with won't be actively trying to talk people into joining but I'm wondering why everyone doesn't join if there are that benefits/reasons to join.

I think I'm going to join as politically it's something I want to do, but I'm curious to know peoples thoughts on Unison specifically and unions generally.

Sorry for typos.... on my iPhone

Well, call me cynical but ........... there are people who will quite happily let the rest of us pay our subs and stand up and fight for the good of all.

I was on strike in February and wow it was cold. We had people fainting on the picket line to get our point across. The non unionised staff will benefit from any concessions we win without having had to fight. It's how it is and I accept that, no problem. Might be one reason why not everyone joins a union.

I'm not in Unison but I'd encourage you to join if you think that it's something that you should do.

Join a union, it's pretty cheap and they're great.

I know usdaw isn't unison, but when I was with them, they accompanied anyone to anyone reviews, your disciplinarian, forced managers to comply with all regulations, offered good discounts and had out of work lawyers.

I've been a Unison member for about 15 years now (first public sector, then charity). I've found them one of the more proactive unions in terms of support for restructure processes - which has been really helpful to me and colleagues on several occasions. There have been times when I struggled with my response after they called a strike (mostly pay-related when I knew the local authority simply couldn't afford more) but I've taken the view that if you're in a union you're in for the support from them AND the support you give in response. So I guess I'd say don't join and just expect to receive, a union is much stronger when you get actively involved as well.

Just ask yourself: if anything awful happened - say, someone made an allegation against you - are you absolutely, completely, 100% confident that your line management would support you?

That's why you need to join a union.

Join. You may never need them, but if you do their support will be invaluable.

I'm a teacher, and therefore in a teaching union, not Unison, but the principle is the same.

I can't believe people would not join a union in this day and age where workers are treated awfully. Sad thing is though, people who are at the lower end of the pay spectrum are the ones who are treated the worst and need unions, but see it as an expense they could do without.

I am in the GMB and there are loads of benefits, the main one being access to their legal team for any issues including family stuff, personal injury claims etc., Which you would pay a solicitor a fortune for.

One of the best things I ever did was join unison. Peace of mind and were always there when I had queries or questions regarding restructure at work and possible redundancies. Compared to other unions who were representing others at work, unison kept all members in the loop and regularly updated.

Worth every penny of the £14 pounds I pay them each month.
You pay on a scale according to what you earn.

I’d recommend joining. You can work your arse off and be a model employee but someone may complain, you may not get on with your manage, you may get unrealistic performance targets, you may do something stupid, someone may accuse you of something.

In my case I was asked to whistle blow in a colleague, if I didn’t I would be considered the same as them and lose my job - yep they couldn’t do that and I had no idea about what they wanted me to whistle blow about!!! Never expected it to happen, never previously been in trouble. Unison supported me through it. A 10 minute conversation with my rep enabled me to sleep at night - worth every penny I’ve paid since (around 14 years).

Local government will go through significant change over the next few years due to the lack of funds and need to find alternative methods of income generation. Unison will support employees with this transition (and redundancy in the worst cases). Don’t underestimate this point, it’s going to get tough.

Oh and a cost of a solicitors letter will be more ham the sounds for one year!

More than the subs! Not ham and sound 😂😂😂

Unison has just forged a fantastic new pension and pay deal with my company and as part of this have also agreed with them to stop further outsourcing of work.

They are generally a good employer but I do not want to find out what they would do if they didn't have the unions to keep them in check and negotiate for us.

This is why I pay my subs.

I was in Unison when I worked in Local Government. I was happy to pay the union subs, but declined to pay the political subscription.

Same when I was teaching, was in the ATL.

Because if you are called into a meeting about your performance or sickness etc, you will get a representative who knows your company policies and is able to get legal advice specific to you.

You also get free wills etc. There are a huge number of benefits and the amount you pay is very little compared to what you get out of them.

Weren’t unison part of a pro trans movement last week?

I've been a Unison member for years. Happy to be part of the union.

Are you glad you've got a pension, sick pay, holiday pay?

Because it was unions who won those for you. Now what are YOU going to do for the people who follow you.

What are YOU going to do for the Union that has worked to improve your pay and working conditions.

Tbh it’s the sort of attitudes put forward by mousse that can be quite off putting.

Definitely. In the current climate of erosion workers' rights, joining a union is important for both you and your colleagues.

I've always been in a Union but only recently needed their help as I'm trying to claim compensation after being in a car accident. As I'm going through my union, all legal fees are covered so I get 100% of the compensation. Unions offer so much more than employment support.

I'd agree @AntiHop

If you work for the LA then definitely join. I'm a member and rep and, even though I work for a relatively good employer, things do go wrong. I joined when I was made redundant and redployed, a lot of people wait until things go wrong for them as an individual but a strong union with lots of members means the union is able to influence the employer and potentially provent redundancies and other negative things happening. Also, your subs go towards bigger campaigns such as the removal of tribunal fees.

@continuallychargingmyphone yep me and JFK asking what you can do for you country. Total bastards the pair of us.

How off putting is it to be be told to stop asking "what do i get out of it?" and being asked "what will you put in to it."

You want everything but aren't prepared to fight for anything. You want your moneys worth but you want it now and want it for free.

Stop complaining put your money where your mouth is and fight for the rights of others. Yeah what a total bitch I am with that kind of attitude.

Eternally grateful for the support from Unison over the years. In my naivety I never envisaged I would actually need their help. I can't thank the reps enough who have supported me.
Grateful that when I was younger and physically able I went on the marches and to the demonstrations.
We have a lot to thank the unions for.

I think you must be mad not to join. The Unison reps at my NHS trust are great. People think they can’t afford to join but in reality they can’t afford not to, no one knows when something untoward is going to happen.

I'm a member and overall would much prefer to be in a union than not. Am unimpressed by the recent TUC stance about women's rights though.