Solly:
The term “Lefty” as used by the Murdoch press and the Union bashing Mainstream Media and government is a real corruption of the word.
Used as it is by these fools it has come be engrained on the sheep mentality to mean “Communism” where in fact it means “Socialist” but the sheep don’t know or understand the difference between “Communism” and “Socialism” and that is the problem.
There is a huge difference between the two meanings.
In theory there might be a difference between the two but in practice they are as close as makes no difference.There’s really no future in either of the two types of system and it’s that argument that caused the break between Trotsky’s and Lenin’s/Stalin’s idea of the future of the old Soviet Union but at the end of the day the result probably would have been the same whichever of them managed to get power over the place.
The issue of unions getting branded as socialist and/or communist in their make up is nothing new but it doesn’t help matters when,what should be,the single issue of just maintaining terms and condtions and getting wage levels up to sufficient levels,to create a self sustaining Fordist economy,within the Capitalist system,gets sidetracked by the totally different agendas of those who want to try create a socialist system which won’t work.
Although it’s no surprise that it’s the hypocritical governments and employers who’ve been keen enough to stereotype and brand all union members as socialists and communists who’ve also been keen enough to deal with totalitarian Communist governments like China and it’s sweatshop economy when they see some profit in it.
But the actions of US unions over the years proves that it’s possible to have strong unions,using what the tory press would call ‘militant’ ‘lefty’ action,when needed,while also being made up of a majority rank and file that would reject socialism and communism and everything it stands for. 
Ive heard that they won’t put a rep in the workplace because they don’t want to be corrupted
.
not so good at dealing with day to day issues then.
had a look at their website and noticed a complete lack of info regarding who, if anyone , is in control.
Lots of good rhetoric but a lack of reports about any actions, only editorial type reports on the intentions.
Never even heard of them till now, how long they been going?
tanker company i work for have two unions, urtu,which they dont recognize, and unite, old t and g, which they do, the split is around 60/40 to urtu, simple answer, all swap over to unite, its like going to a gunfight in the old west with a six shooter and only 3 bullets, be nice to go with a fully freighted uzi 9 mm, ha ha.
I think WEU has been going about a year.
All I can tell you is that when a driver takes a WEU rep in with them to see management, the managements attitude changes completly.
The problem with UNITE within the bus industry is that the reps work for the bus company and are very cosy with the management, IE, jolly ups with the management/changing thier shifts/holidays etc etc.
This thread will run and run for sure.
is that the reps work for the bus company and are very cosy with the management,
That is without doubt true in many cases.
but the answer is with the members.
Go to the branch/chapel/workplace meeting—propose a vote of no confidence—get a seconder---- have a ballot/show of hands— elect a new rep.
job done!
now the big BUT.
Lots want to slag off the rep but few want to risk taking on the job and being unpopular with the bosses, or worse still being expected to wipe the backsides of some members who will shout for hellfire and damnation from the back of the meeting but are like schoolgirls when the manure hits the fan… and there are loads and loads of those.
So maybe the union in question has it right.
If not in the workplace where do the reps come from, are they fairly local and are there plenty of them. I ask because I can’t see how they can deal with routine small problems that crop up on a day to day basis unless they are able to visit the site fairly easily.
Must admit, I would not stand for union rep, not because i’m scared of management, but because some of the drivers are worse than school children…
del949:
is that the reps work for the bus company and are very cosy with the management,
That is without doubt true in many cases.
but the answer is with the members.
Go to the branch/chapel/workplace meeting—propose a vote of no confidence—get a seconder---- have a ballot/show of hands— elect a new rep.
job done!
now the big BUT.
Lots want to slag off the rep but few want to risk taking on the job and being unpopular with the bosses, or worse still being expected to wipe the backsides of some members who will shout for hellfire and damnation from the back of the meeting but are like schoolgirls when the manure hits the fan… and there are loads and loads of those.
So maybe the union in question has it right.
If not in the workplace where do the reps come from, are they fairly local and are there plenty of them. I ask because I can’t see how they can deal with routine small problems that crop up on a day to day basis unless they are able to visit the site fairly easily.
Too much trouble for the plebs…
totally agree, easier to moan instead.
Although, it has to be said that years ago few drivers worked Sundays and could attend branch meetings easily, nowadays lots are working at weekends.
del949:
totally agree, easier to moan instead.
To be fair del it’s probably an inevitable result of the erosion of real union power by successive governments (including so called Labour governments) over the years which realistically means that when the guvnor says this is the final offer or this is how many hours you’ll have to work etc there’s no real sanctions or leverage that the memebrship can realistically apply.So in that environment you can’t blame those who lose interest and decide to use the free time which they have left for themselves instead of trying to do mission impossible.I think even the tanker drivers ended up settling for less than the union leadership was looking for 
.
that response begs the question …chicken or egg.
did unions lose power because of government actions or were government actions permitted by lack of union power.
IMO a bit of both.
Don’t really want to visit the Thatcher years again though.
More concerned with today, even though I no longer work for a living.
There is one simple bottom line re unions.
There is no one else at all that will campaign for the workers.
It is a simple as that!
Unions are a long way from being perfect but there is nothing as an alternative.
del949:
that response begs the question …chicken or egg.
did unions lose power because of government actions or were government actions permitted by lack of union power.
IMO a bit of both.
I think it was mostly government actions.Firstly by using propaganda and media control to whip up misplaced anti union feeling in the population at large when that population would still have been stuck in the 1930’s had it not been for unions using their muscle and every one of the powers they had.
Then it was the union leaderships,not the members,failure to use the powers they still had to back a winner not a loser in Wilson and Callaghan and to get a better deal from the Labour governments which we had in the 1970’s,considering that the union rank and file memership had no direct input into electing a Labour leader unlike the unions leadership.It was effectively all over even before Thatcher got into power.