To not understand why people recommend Pregnant Then Screwed?

[firsttimepregnanthelp]

I believe I am experiencing unfair treatment at work due to pregnancy related sickness so called PTS as people are always recommending it but they were useless?! A very short phone call with generic, vague advice. Is it just me? Same with ACAS - all very vague. There seems to be no support.

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

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.

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.

@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.

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.

Wow, that's steep.

Mine's just over £8.

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

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

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

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.

Sure, but it seems to me the issue is that HR often get called in when it's too late, and not enough has been done to proactively try to prevent discriminatory behaviour coming from a manager / colleagues. Honestly, from where I'm standing it's about what can be proven and what can't. In my experience HR tend to dig down and do anything possible to deny that discrimination has occurred in order to try to ward off a claim.

Anyway look, I don't want this to get personal as I know you are trying to help OP and that's great. I have come across some great HR people, but to your point that apparently most union reps are useless... I'm afraid I have to say the same about HR. In all fairness, I've also seen some shockers from union reps.

But you didn't have a case. They couldn't tell you otherwise. There is no right to promotion.

I'm a member of a union for people without a specific union for their job. They are also supportive of gender critical people from my understanding. (Affinity.)

Tbh you don’t have all the details so it’s not really insightful for you to comment

Years ago, I had a great UCU local area rep who helped a colleague and I fight, and win, against being made redundant. My colleague and I put in a lot of the legwork, and the union rep did the legal stuff. He was brilliant and very knowledgeable.

But since the trans thing, the same union (at a different college) have been worse than useless. Their rep made anonymous complaints about me to management and then tried to get me sacked from another college. I left UCU years ago and joined Free Speech Union instead.

None of this is helpful to your question OP, sorry!

What union is recommended for a private sector worker assuming no one else is a member int he company? If you work for a small business

Yes when I rang the helpline they were not able to help and I didn’t think my query was that niche.

Their advice should still reflect what is or isn't allowed within employment law, else they're likely to get the employer into more trouble rather than less.

My union has been excellent when I've had to contact them, but this is probably partly because it's not a recognised union in my workplace, so the reps sre directly from the union headoffice where they are employed as reps, rather than it being a volunteer position in addition to their actual job.

I have found most helplines/help websites for most issues to be pretty well useless, (apart from OCD-UK who have been brilliant).

Unless you were totally and utterly clueless beforehand about whatever the issue happens to be.

NHS mental health one especially with its 'have you tried colouring in and a nice bath' shite 🙄, but alzheimers, prem baby issues, mental health - all masters of stating the bleeding obvious.

I'm not a union member. I work in a quasi legal profession and have a background in handling HR issues. I haven't found any advice that I couldn't have put together myself from my legal knowledge and used a proper lawyer for if needed.

A union isn't always necessary. It can be weighed against other options.

It means put to sleep to me.

This response always confuses me. Why is this such a common response when 80% of the population are not in a union. Most private sector companies are not unionised. They are largely irrelevant outside of the public sector yet it is a fairly common response on here. Makes me wonder if mumsnet weirdly attracts public sector workers rather than private sector?

You don't need to be in a unionised workplace to join a union. I'm a solicitor and I joined a union. I've used them twice and they've been really helpful.

There are a number of unions for people who don't traditionally have a union. I'm with Affinity, as mentioned up thread.

My employer wont pay me to stay home for 9 months and do nothing
Call pregnancy and screwed

I demand a 300% payrise
Call pregnancy and screwed

Any demand that is suggestion