Is becoming a union rep a good idea?

[jennii]

I work in public sector. They emailed asking for union reps and I volunteered, but I haven’t gone training or anything yet. But now I am getting cold feet.
Will it be lots of work/stress? Will it put my employer off me if they think I’m a potential trouble maker?
i’m grateful for any thoughts/advice. Thank you

I've done it and found it really rewarding and enjoyable. It was stressful at times but worth the reward imo.

For me, it also led to a new role working in politics.

Ultimately if you don't like it, you can stop.

Depending on your union, it can lead to great training opportunities.

It's also very interesting + enlightening to see what problems others face and to give advice on how they can solve / minimise them.

In some jobs you are more protected as a union rep too.

i work in HR, so i sit on the other side of the table.

i think it is a good skill set to learn and develop as you'll get exposure to different parts of the organisation and sometimes access to business leaders that you may not otherwise come into contact with.

i enjoy working with reps who can be pragmatic and sensible. i have a great deal of respect for some of them. the ones i don't like working with are the ones who have the old fashioned 'us and them' view of the employment relationship and try to defend the indefensible.

Yes, do it! Look how far it got John Prescott and Angela Rayner.

I don’t see how being a union rep is a trouble maker. You’ll be appropriately trained and then you will attend various meetings and provide advice to those who don’t know the work policies as well and who need a bit of moral support in meetings.

Ex HR and support this view 100%.

Make sure you have the training and try and have good relationships with HR/leaders ... informal conversations can often sort things out before things get out of hand.