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.

Everybody should join a trade Union if one is available. Insurance policy.

I work in public sector and have NOT joined UNISON or any other union. Why? Well I don’t see any benefit at all. I don’t agree with the majority of the politics that the major unions are affiliated with and I feel people strike/protest far too easily these days - 90% of these “big issues”/stances I don’t agree with ...
I am certainly not paying a substantial amount of salary to fund political agendas and protests that I don’t agree with and ridiculous expenses for reps/leaders ... If there is ever a major issue/allegation then I am intelligent & practical enough to represent myself in initial discussions and would pay a lawyer if needed.

@rickand

The best place for women, right now, is to be in a union.
There will be workplace reps, branches and regional offices that won't be aware that Unison (and the rest) are about to join the Transgender lobby and press for a change in the law - a law that will be anti-women and girls.

The best thing is to ask questions. Let the union explain why men should be seen as women, if they say so. Ask them who they consulted. Let them know that they have put men's rights before women's.

You will do more good by questioning their motives and alerting other union officials to Motion 41.

I am going against the grain here, I am not a fan of unions. I think they damage the trust between employers and employees.

DH’s company has banned unions

It is unlawful in the UK for any employer to prevent an employee from joining a union.

@LucyFox I don’t agree with and ridiculous expenses for reps/leaders

Based on what evidence? That is a very offensive claim to make. The vast majority of reps are volunteers giving up their own time to help their colleagues. Are you implying that as well as my time I should pay for my own car journey so I can have a meeting with a member?

I can't talk about the leadership expenses because I don't have the evidence one way or another.

@LucyFox My Unison membership was around £7.20 a month. Also, there was the option of paying a bit extra each month to go directly to the Labour Party and receive membership. You can decline to do that and I did.

Not so iirc ilovesooty HMG do not allow HM Forces to be in a union. It is banned.

No. Absolutely not.

Not sure what I feel about unions. After seeing the one I was in screw us over with an 8 yr pay deal Boone really approved of. Whilst crowing about how well they'd done for their 'members' I don't agree with some of the bully tactics employed. They can support on some circumstances but also seen people hung out to dry

I'm a Unison member who is thinking of leaving over their behaviour on the gender self-ID thing. Specifically the lack of consultation with women, some of the offensive inaccurate crap about (predominantly left-wing, union-supporting) women who are trying to raise concerns, concerns about data protection and concerns that they would not represent me if I had any issues at work due to being gender critical (even though I know they have represented members who have done some really terrible things).

Now apparently (as a union that represents a lot of care workers) they are also fighting to get rid of the right for service users to be able to request intimate care from members of the same sex because it's 'discriminatory'.

Although I should in theory be able to raise my concerns both through the LGBT self-organising groups/conference (because I'm a lesbian) and through the main organisation, I don't feel that it is safe to do so, especially as there is a prominent pro-doxxing, pro-getting-women-sacked-and-abused person within Unison who has access to all my personal and employment details.

rickandmorts
pissedoffunisonmember
My sympathies, I feel the same. But, I'm coming round to the idea that it's better to stay in as I generally support the existence of trade unions and on this issue, at least there is a shred of opportunity to vote and (carefully) express an opinion.
I remain shocked that stating biological fact has become dangerous.

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

I would not be eligible to join any of those unions. But after some research, I definitely want to leave the GMB and join one were debate and consultation with women, is seen as important. I am fuming and I feel really sad.

Thanks for all the replies. Really interesting reading. I didn't know about the Unison/TG vote so that's helpful to know - I will look into that more today.

@Moussemoose - I'm not sure how many of your replies were directed at me, but I thought I'd said in my OP that actually, politically, I was probably going to join anyway because I do agree that it's more about improving conditions for everyone than paying in to get something out for yourself as an individual. But I do want to know more about what the benefits are IRL and concrete examples of things they've helped with and areas they may have let people down does help.

I'm a member, our rep is brilliant, they've also fine since excellent work regarding our pay negotiations over the last few years. Our rep had also been fantastic supporting some of my team through ill health processes, redirection into new roles and other staff with management grievances. She's also been very helpful to me in terms of legal advice with certain staff matters and I know a lot of my team have accessed fabulous free training through unison, that had improved their skills and they've gone on to further training or promotions. For the amount it costs a month is definitely worth it in my experience.

Oh and women's conference this year was great. I don't agree with their position on everything, but I do feel there is room for debate, it might help that my local rep is also regional women's officer and has similar views to me about self ID and so on

I'm in unison and they've helped me out twice at work.

Once my team were TUPE'd to a new organisation, and they tried to sign us over on less pay, pension, more hours, less annual leave. The Union person represented us at the negotiations and we got our original terms.

Another time another place of work tried to vary my contract without consultation, and I just got some useful advice my phone.

OP - I wasn't directing my comments at you. I just get very depressed when I see people regarding union membership as purely transactional. As a society the idea that we need to help each other and maybe give something back is dismissed. You pay and you want a service, demand a service!

I find it rather depressing. Trade unionism is about mutual support and that takes effort from all parties.

I work purely in an admin role in nhs, would it still be worth it /appropriate for me to join ?

Yes it would be appropriate for you to join, it doesn’t matter what your role is, your rights are the same. They’ve helped me, I’ll be with them until I retire. It’s not just rights in the workplace, they also have good deals with partners. My home insurance is with them.

The good work that that the reps do and they don’t get paid for should be recognised by everyone. Even good companies can go bad where saving money is concerned.

Join the union please. It's a kind of your lawyer at work, and a body which makes sure you've got some human rights at work.
My union paid for my solicitor fees when I filed for compensation for a very scary nasty accident I had at work, involving machinery. If I wasn't a member and had to pay myself, it would almost eat the compensation sum I got in the end.

Hope nothing this awful ever happens to you, but it is just an example how useful union is.

DH often does field work for clients. Some of which are heavily unionized. If he has to work on a union site the job costs a lot more and takes at least double the time.

I joined Unison two years ago when my new boss started making my life very difficult. My rep has been incredible, keeping my boss from stepping over the line (much more help than HR who have been useless at making him behave professionally) and now we're in another restructure he is fighting my corner to keep my job. Worth every penny to me. In a lot of public sector employers nobody but the union will help you when the chips are down.

I'm an HR Manager and have had many dealings with unions over the years. I personally wouldn't waste my money joining.

In my experience, they are a business and operate as such. They often do little to protect their members. I've sat in so many meetings and hearings where I've been representing the company and expecting the union to challenge or argue on certain points to protect their membership and they haven't.

I've also had employees in tears where they expected the union to support them on matters and they haven't.

I've also had to advise friends on disciplinary matters and write grievance letters for them in the past when the union they are in have either not helped them or been absolutely useless.

Just to add I am fully in favour of unions in principle, but I think many of the current ones have completely lost their way.

I’d agree with that mia