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.

I have been paying into Unison for the last 20 years and have not needed their service until this year when I was part of a serious complaint. I probably recouped all of my subscriptions in solicitors fees alone, never mind the cost of help and support from the reps. They have been worth every penny.

Going against the grain, I wouldn’t bother.
Gone through a review recently and they were hopeless. Told me I could do one then then totally about face changed. Basically lay down and gave in!
I also put in a grievance! Union couldn’t even come to the meeting with me. Went on my own!
Not impressed with them at all, though I did get a diary every year!

I was in NALGO (showing my age here) when I worked in local government. The LA put forward proposals for a re-organisation and my shop steward was round to my desk immediately to ensure I understood my position and the effect on me.

The union also organised some excellent social events!

I used to be a Unison rep when I was police staff. One person went round telling everyone how I had saved her job after HR drove a horse and cart through all the policies. Their solicitors also got me a top notch redundancy payment and agreement.

At the local authority, I wouldn't be without membership. They've already been at my side in a previous position when there was a malicious complaint.

Plus all the legal, financial and other benefits.

Unison let me down badly so I left. Since then have heard similar stories. However, that could just be the branch near me. I'm just about to join another union and am researching my options. I do think it's a good plan to join one, especially if you're in a LA.

I'm in unison (NHS).
I've used them when my absence was recorded as regular absence, when I argued it should be recorded as pregnancy related. Unison fought my corner and won. The trust took legal advice after I got the union involved and they were informed that I was correct. I was off sick following maternity leave due to a birth related injury. The injury could only be obtained through childbirth, therefore directly pregnancy related.

Also, this month, due to am absolute fuck up from tax credits, they paid my £1000 childcare bill for me as they have a scheme for financial hardship/crisis.

Will you be in a public facing role? What roukf you do if s membet if tgr public make s complaint about you?

I’ve been in the public sector for 14 years, joined Unison when I started. They have fought for the recognition of my time in my team during a big restructure, they have debated our salary reviews (not many!), and other t&cs. I’ve had a personal rep help me through a rather contentious situation with a service user. and I get discounted ice hockey tickets

I’m in Unison and have needed their help once, they were fab!

Yes join unison. I work in HR and the amount of people who don’t join the union, then something goes wrong and they try to join in retrospect and find out they aren’t covered for any incident prior to joining is surprising. You never know when you might need it. Honestly.
I am HR and even I am in the union.

I may be in the minority, but I have found them useless. I had a real issue with my public sector employers refusing to pay me maternity pay and unison basically shrugged their shoulders. I was a member and had been for some time, but as there was already an ongoing grievance in my team (about another issue) they basically weren't interested in dealing with anyone else. I have since cancelled my membership. I think hope useful they are depends on how decent your local reps are.

You can also get them to draft a will for free and discount on insurances etc. It’s well worth it.

I am generally pro-union. But Unison were only interested in the drivers' grievances and not the office staffs' when I joined them while working for a small, niche part of TFL. They had no interest at all in helping me with a big contractual issue. This could have been a local branch problem , but I felt there was an underlying misogyny involved.

I'm afraid I'm in the minority too in that Unison let huge amounts of us in our organisation down very badly. Probably over a hundred of us left them in one go.
Im generally pro Union, but haven't been in unison for years.

It’s a personal choice. I didn’t join as couldn’t see I’d ever need them or deal with matters myself if required. I regret it now as currently appealing by myself for an alternative working request that’s been refused with ridiculous reasoning. I’m ok with dealing but I do wish I’d join unison now for a bit of back up. I do feel like a small fish in a big pond.

I work in a school which is part of a MAT. I don’t trust my employer as far as I could throw them so am more than happy to pay my unison fees every month. You never know when you might need their help.

I am with a union but will never join one of those Corbyn supporting ones

Mines a small union

Ask around at your place of work. I work for the local authority and Unison have a very strong and proactive voice. They hold a lot of sway and they are very supportive. I’m fortunate in that I’ve not needed their help but from speaking to many colleagues, I made the decision that it was a good bet. With central government cuts coming left, right and centre I do not feel safe without the support of the union. They cut the services and they cut the things that keep a positive, healthy and motivated workforce.

This week, at the TUC Conference, all unions (except three*) voted to support the Transgender lobby's campaign to change the Gender Recognition Act. They heard from some "brave, stunning" men who identify as women and were moved. In Motion 41, they agreed that how you feel and dress (gender) trumps your biology (sex). Transwomen were indeed women.

Not one single union - and that includes Unison - asked women members whether they were happy with their sex-based rights, services and protections being trashed.

In fact, the TUC and Unison were congratulating themselves for such forward thinking.

It's the kind of forward thinking that led to a so-called transwoman, (who was also a serial rapist and a domestic violence offender), being sent to a women's prison. "She" committed further sexual assaults on vulnerable women who were unable to escape from "her" clutches.

I am gob-smacked that Unison don't see the problem with yielding women's and girl's spaces and services to blokes. Unison leaders are being presumptuous if they think that all their members - men and women - agree that's it's a good idea.

If you are in the union, you might consider asking questions about Unison's actions?

• The three unions that abstained in order to consult women and research the topic more deeply were the FBU, NUJ and the Association of Educational psychologists. Kudos to those unions.

The thing with Trade unionism is that it is a union of its members. A branch is as strong as is volunteers.

Joining a trade union shouldn't be a transaction - I pay this so I get that.

Many trade unionists are volunteers they are working to support and help people. Would you join a charity and ask what you are getting out of it?

If the Union has let you down when you needed it do you walk away or join in to make sure that doesn't happen to others? If you were the rep what would you have done differently?

It is about mutual help and support. If you only see it as an insurance policy you are not going to get the most out of it.

Trade Unionism is the opposite of being selfish - what can I do to help my colleagues? If you only want to help yourself you are missing the point.

Ex union H&S rep here, you do realise that if you wait until you have a problem before you join, you can join but they usually won't help you with any pre existing problem , only future ones. It's obviously to stop people just joining when they need help then cancelling membership.

I joined Unison and had cause to need their help as my work completely screwed up my maternity leave, lost my MAT1B form and totally fucked up my taxes. They were a little helpful in making sure I got the right figures and meeting with them to get it sorted out. But they were quite meek with my employer and I didn’t feel they fought my corner hard enough. I ended up owing my ex work some money which really morally, they should have written off because it was their mistake.

I’m told that if I had joined Unite (who were the other option) they would have gone for the jugular and my employer would probably have ended up owing me money in compensation. But I don’t really approve of how Unite is run, I think they are a destructive force in British politics dragging them to the left and I’m not comfortable with their links to some unpleasant groups like Momentum.

Unison did also help me before that tentatively. I was working for a hugely incompetent person who just had no idea how to do their job and at one point I was concerned that they were going to shift the blame for their failures and inactivity on to me and they recorded my concerns about the current situation so if it had come to the point of me being blamed I would have had evidence clearly showing I was raising concerns about the problems and any inactivity or failure was due to a lack of management direction rather than idleness on my part.

So yes I’d say join. They are worth it. But if there are other unions available at your place of work investigate them too and their reputation before deciding.

Like I say, Unite is often available alongside and can get better outcomes because they are aggressive, but for some people they’re not comfortable bed fellows.

Join another union

A smaller one won’t be happy until they fucked women over

No. They sold women out this week. They voted that men's needs are greater than women's - that women's single sex spaces and rights come second to a man who says he simply feels like a woman.

They hate women. Look carefully at who you want representing you.

I suppose if I was still in Unison or looking to join at the moment, I would certainly be letting them know I did not agree with that motion (am female despite username).

But I think the idea of women not joining Unions because of it is a terrible one as it would mean the trans lobby had driven women out of another space and eroded women’s rights at work even more.

Oh fuck sake I didn't know Unison had voted for that motion. I'm vehemently against the gender recognition act and not sure where this leaves me now. I've recently joined Unison and was going to become a steward in my workplace( booked on to my training) but I'm really not sure what to do. I feel like I can't support them now but I've been going to meetings etc and felt a part of something and was enjoying it but now..