To urge everyone who can to join a union.

[JoshLymanIsHotterThanSam]

Okay, I know I’m not. But at my husbands insistence I joined a union 9 months ago after being in NHS service for 5 years. I had no real reason to join, he just told me if I ever needed them I’d be glad.

Fast forward 9 months and here I am in the thick of a full on wrangle with HR, management and my job - which it turns out isn’t the job I’m supposed to be doing, processes have not been followed properly for a long time and I suspect there are a few higher ups in a fair bit of trouble. My union rep has been stellar not only with his support but with his advice and his ability to get things taken care of. Hes talked me through every eventuality, what it means and what action he will help me take if it comes to that.

He has been worth every Penny of my union dues a thousand times over.

My (now ex) union (UCU) have made it clear they don’t believe in women’s sex-based rights and would happily throw me under a bus for holding gender critical views, so I’m no longer a member. Lots of other female academic colleagues feel the same, sadly.

I joined a union and was very disappointed. They kept directing me to ACAS for advice on a bullying claim and subsequent settlement agreement

No. I was in a union for 15 years. That's a LOT of money. Harassed out of my job and the union wouldn't even answer my emails. Some are good and some totally just more jobs for the boys.

Things my union has done for me over last decade:

Supported pay discrimination claim. This included legal advice which made it worth risk.

Free will writing service

Three rounds of redundancy consultations:

Changed pool and selection criteria following discussions with HR, v much led by union. Negotiated larger number of staff to be retained. Negotiated reasonable adjustments for staff needing them at interview.

One bullying case:

Insisted HR and line managers followed procedures. They didn't want to.

For colleagues generally:

Rejected and renegotiated workload changes for all staff.

Refused additional responsibilities for all staff that sit with another grade.

Rejected punitive sickness absence policy.

Accompany staff to disciplinaries, give advice on when to fight and when to negotiate soft landing.

Generally available for quick chat, including with non unionised staff.

I wouldn't be without our union rep. As someone says upthread, they give managers great advice. They smooth things over. And I believe in the union principle.

I'm in the GMB and the actual shop steward rather than the union rep dealt with my case; she was superb. Would always join a union but it is a bit hit and miss if your rep is any good or not. If anyone thinks their rep is rubbish ask for representation from another branch.

'Usually ill-informed and toothless'.

You'd be absolutely surprised at the number of HR professionals I've come across that fit the exact same description, or the number of times a workplace's policy needs quoting back to them.

It's down to the individual. I've had good and bad reps. I've genuinely yet to meet a HR employee that doesn't falter on policy, somewhere.

Definitely join a union folks. You need someone on your side, and HR is not that.

I used to work for somewhere that 'didn't recognise unions' but actually if you had a disciplinary meeting you could bring a union rep with you, they just kept that fact veeerrrry quiet.

You do realise you can opt out of the political fund?!

I'm not - I can't afford the fees!

I've been in usdaw - who wiped the floor with a big clothing company rhymes with hext who tried to shaft me.

Been unison for years now but might jump shop to unite or gmb. We are in consultation over pay right now and voting for or against industrial action.

My sector is in tatters we need the unions more than ever and this is the most union activity and increase in members I've seen in my whole career.

I very much how my subs go to the Labour Party.

Another rabble rouser x

I work in the private sector, a large tech company. We don't have 'a union' though presumably anyone can join one of the big national unions. But since of I do, I'm likely the only employee in that union, the whole 'collective bargaining' thing is out the window.

There's no collective bargaining, but if your employer tries to put you through a disciplinary, they can be invaluable. Just having someone on my side in the meeting was a help. (He was also very good at his job as rep.) And when they made me redundant a few months ago, they provided a lawyer and held my hand through the process. Over the years, I've also been to women in STEM days they organised, and had reduced careers counselling from them.

I think because the union wasn't recognised and so my rep was from outside the company and it was basically his job, rather than an extra voluntary part of his job, he was really good. You can get some excellent workplace reps, but from what I've heard, there's an element of luck.

I'm currently not working (the current weather really isn't motivating me to look for work when I can be at the beach,) but I'm still a member - I think my subs are currently around £2 a month. I should probably make some more use of their services.

It's not that they don't recognise unions, just that I work for small companies I'm not a nurse or a teacher or a railway worker etc. You have exactly the same rights as anywhere else as far as I know. Not sure you can 'not recognise a union' wort it for free legal advice and representation at hearings grievances etc.

As a HR professional I’m totally in favour of the idea of unions but the reality is they are usually ill informed and toothless. Employees often think if they say “I’ve got my union involved” we will crap ourselves but it’s usually more an eye roll as we might need to delay a couple of meetings to let them attend and be useless. Which is a shame as I’m all for the employee voice just IME they are pretty useless. Lots of table banging and no substance and woeful knowledge of employment law as it is rather than how they would I like it to be.

I've done two disciplinary meetings as a manager recently. I agree when staff "threaten" us with the union, all I think is good, you should.

Union representation can help make sure the process is done correctly, but they can't protect you if you're wrong. I've been in a number of meetings where the union appeared to be on our side "I think the employer's been very fair/done all they can" etc

I like having the union involved. It means the company is held to account and the employee gets support, but also has a better idea of what might actually be possible within whatever process they're going through. Meetings tend to be much shorter when the union is there.

The union for my place got a massive payrise 16% for most people then when it came to the rest of us, kept delaying meetings then agreed to a lowball offer on our behalf. Half the people in our office have cancelled their dues as a result because the union only cares about certain roles.

My union are pushing some very anti women policies. They also signed away our right to pay progression, leading to zero pay rises for many years.

I left, and won't be going back.

I am a teacher in a Further Education College. I have always been in a union. A number of times, throughout my career they have been very helpful. On moving from schools to colleges I was really surprised at the number of people who said they wouldn't join, that it wasn't necessary. If you are a teacher - you should join
@catgirl1976 'usually ill-informed and toothless' - you describe the HR team at our college so accurately.😉

My union rep is useless and was absolutely no help to me when I needed him.

They really aren't.

YANBU…BUT it does depend on the rep. DH is a teacher so in a union and his old rep was horrendous, excessively militant and drove a wedge between staff and the leadership team in a very negative way. New rep is great though as far as he says. I also heard a grievance at work with someone who had taken advice from his union and it was really difficult because they’d been badly advised, felt very sorry for them.

I’m in a union. It’s also a solidarity thing even if you don’t end up needing their services

I’ve never found them very helpful unfortunately

Also my experience.
Waste of money.
They were perfectly happy to keep sending me glossy leaflets telling me how to vote at election time though.

@Quveas I need you!

Wrong.

You have a legal right to be accompanied to disciplinary hearings and grievance meetings by a colleague or by a trade union representative. It doesn’t matter whether the trade union is recognised or not, you still have the right to be accompanied to those types of meetings by a trade union rep.

They have been for me.