are they really finished
were non union and get a 2.5% pay rise and thats it [ agreed between our boss and the firm we sub for]
the firm we sub for blokes get offered a 3.75% pay rise, sick pay from day 1, 50 pounds a year extra attendance allowance all negotiated by the union[ been turned down by the blokes as 3.75 % not enough].
there all ready on more than us and also get pens cont matched by firm, i know everyone says unions are finished but these blokes seem to be doing o.k out of being in a union 
When the 48hour week started,we were put onto a salary.
But some of our drivers earnt in excess of £35k.
I can’t remember what the first pay offer was,but we then rejected it.They then came back with another offer and to take all of our terms and conditions off us.
We rejected it again.
Finally agreed to a much better offer and keep our terms and conditions.
This was mainly due to our union guy at work.But he had the backing of the union.
Other drivers that say unions are’nt much good,because they only got 2% or less.Its not only down to the union.If their prepared to get walked over, but moan about it later,it’s their own fault.
Its all about standing up and having your say.But you need a united workforce and a good spokesman.
In my case the unions are ok at our depot.
Tony b
I just want a CIU card for the cheap beer 
It is worth pointing out that a Trade Union is not just for wage negotiating. Most unions offer a free legal service to their members and I can think of a number of cases over the years where drivers would have saved themselves a great deal of time, money and hassle if they had they been members of a union.
It is also worth mentioning that any letter you send to your employers is more likely to be dealt with if you copy your union rep into it.
ady1:
are they really finished
were non union and get a 2.5% pay rise and thats it [ agreed between our boss and the firm we sub for]
the firm we sub for blokes get offered a 3.75% pay rise, sick pay from day 1, 50 pounds a year extra attendance allowance all negotiated by the union[ been turned down by the blokes as 3.75 % not enough].
there all ready on more than us and also get pens cont matched by firm, i know everyone says unions are finished but these blokes seem to be doing o.k out of being in a union
ady, the company you sub for are bound to look after their employees by law. As a subby your boss will have to negotiate the best rate and he won’t have anwhere near the power of a collective workforce. Hence the difference. If he gets to expesive they might look for a cheaper option!!
Im a shop steward in my firm - health and safety mainly - we just got our guys onto a 4 day week , 25 days holiday per year, £27500 for class1 and 2 drivers and last week i got about 6 drivers off disciplinary action for accidents/damage to vehicles to property! 
I joined the union because our firm hand out disciplinaries like sweets- look it as an insurance policy should anything go wrong youve got back up, if a member has a problem and he is right , they can get support to sort it out.
Also we have a distress fund for things like parking tickets /speeding fines etc, legal support, convayancing, will writing discounted recovery services etc
If your a shop steward you also ( supposedly) get time offf for union duties so less time on road and you get satisfaction from helping others out! …and getting one up on the management!
How many on here are in a union??
Glad to hear someone is ‘Pro-Union’ (DemonBiker). It’s an unfortunate fact that Unions were demonised by the Thatcher government back in the 80’s and sufferred drastically by changes in Employment laws in favour of the employers at that time and since then. Couple that with heavily ‘favoured’ journalism at the time and the unions were almost decimated because the British public tend to accept whats in the press as fact (try to get a copy of ‘The Enemy within’ by Seamus Milne ISBN 0330344080) for a real account of what went on) and since then the unions have had to struggle against the each man for himself attitude which was very much nurtured back then and since then.
But you’ve got to consider, and remember, that a TU is there as your REPRESENTATIVE, It doesn’t and can’t (legally ) instruct you on what to do in any scenario, it can only advise you on matters and let you as an individual, or collective, make your own decision , they then will act as your mouthpiece or witness.
I have always been a member of a Union, I have also acted as a Union Rep and on many occasions the ‘problem’ was nothing more than a misunderstanding of a situation or condition, which a bit of cool headedness, common sense or explanation of a contract term could sort out, however it was usually a case that “the union were crap” because they couldn’t do anything. My Firm, with which I spent 25 years, accepted input from the Union because we very often could, as the middlemen, negotiate or place proposals in more understandable terms to either party. I maybe should point out that I probably by nature am pretty militant, infact anti-employer (lol) but never did manage to cause any disruption because of the common sense approach to most issues. What my experience does tell me is that the majority of problems arise through the lack of unity in a workforce and that unless a group of workers DO stand together their Bum is well out the window. By the way it’s not going to get any easier as more and more companies are bought up by Venture Capitalists so get yourselves united and stay that way
I haven’t bothered joining one, since I only do occasional weekend agency work.
I can see why they can be useful in some cases, but I can also think of companies (not naming names) which have been pretty much brought to their knees by overly zealous unions - where “union rules” mean having to go to ridiculous lengths to get something done (e.g. I can’t move that trailer from one parking space to another a few hundred metres away, as that’s someone else’s job, and if I just go and do it anyway, it risks a union walkout.)
There are places in the country where the unions have pretty much taken over, and they need to get a heavy dose of reality to realise what they’re actually doing to the company - making it uncompetitive just for the sake of “jobs for the boys”.
The trouble with unions is that they always want you to run overweight. Especially spanish onions.
When it was 38 tonne they would still put 24 tonne in a tilt 
Well, I’m in a union too. I’ve only actually “used” them twice. In the last 5 years, and they get their money by DD.
Legal support when I had my arm ripped out of its socket by curtainsider passing and recently with some trumped up charges in some, ah, misadministration at work 
The union chap for the area and transport side came along and when work found out that I was having Union support kinda backtracked big time. They initally tried to tell me I couldn’t have one with me…
Alas a colleage wasn’t in the union and has now been shafted and got rid of my the same company 
I’m pro union 
So’s the family
At the moment my union has put in grievance at work due to management not putting enough load security on trucks - 1 bar 2 cups securing 40 cages in an artic , 1 bar 2 cups -18 cages on a rigid. they agreed to do split the loads with bars to make it safer but havent bothered - if the unions werent there to get involved the drivers are at risk of personal injury or injury to the public - when they open the doors on a slight hill and the whole load falls out!!
some people just dont care- as long as the trucks out the yard!!
Unions are like an insurance policy best to have one - just in case something goes wrong.
I have about 6 drivers last week with big smiles on their faces as i got them off with discaplinary action over damage/accidents! These guys recomend unions to other drivers as they had a good experience - im sure if it was a bad expereince they would say they are crap!!
Ive never been in a union till i started where i am now, joined up after 2 weeks when i saw how others were treated and DP handed out like christmas cards!
Now im a shop steward -fighting the good fight .
I wouldnt want to not be in a union now, been quite useful in my personal case.
Also harder to DP someone in a union as they are entitled to representation and assistance for free.
iam in a union & would recomend joining one for peace of mind, i have used the union rep many times over the years concerning appraisal & disaplinaries.
it is good to know there is someone there to talk to & help when needed.