As the title really im wondering what unions there are as I have seen several official bodies mentioned on here in various posts. also can one deduct the payment that goes to the labour party from the dues. Whilst I will more than likely join when I get offered a contract as I believe the union is there for the benefit of all and therefor should be funded by all I also have strong political views.
cooper1203:
As the title really im wondering what unions there are as I have seen several official bodies mentioned on here in various posts. also can one deduct the payment that goes to the labour party from the dues. Whilst I will more than likely join when I get offered a contract as I believe the union is there for the benefit of all and therefor should be funded by all I also have strong political views.
En anglais SVP 
I grasped what he said.
We have Unite at our place… about as much use as ■■■■ on a fish… but that’s probably down to personality.
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Monkey241:
I grasped what he said.We have Unite at our place… about as much use as ■■■■ on a fish… but that’s probably down to personality.
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
Just a point I am a senior workplace steward
And if I may say so a successful one. And more to the point the men are the union in your workplace and your stewards are you voted them in and like I do research education and most of all knowledge is power
Tony101@:
Monkey241:
I grasped what he said.We have Unite at our place… about as much use as ■■■■ on a fish… but that’s probably down to personality.
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
Just a point I am a senior workplace steward
And if I may say so a successful one. And more to the point the men are the union in your workplace and your stewards are you voted them in and like I do research education and most of all knowledge is power
- dozens, well said.
The union is the members, who contribute what they can (not talking about dues) and the stewards they elect and support.
I’ve been in the union for ever, T&G which is now Unite, wherever there’s a proper recognised union the terms and conditions have been far better than at places without a union…though i accept the opposite can also be true in some cases.
I agree with the ethos of the OP, the union benefits everyone and everyone who benefits should morally do their share even if its just pay their dues.
Sadly in practice, those who refuse to join the union the reason is normally greed, they tend to be the ones who milk the benefits the union has negotiated, ie taking max advantage often unfairly of pay agreements and taking the ■■■■ out of the full sick pay, they sicken me.
I’d happily recommend Unite, but remember the most important decision the union member will make is who they elect as steward, whilst Bolshy Bill the Militant might seem the obvious choice sometimes the steward needs to moderate unreasonable demands that would only damage the company, the steward also might have to have a quiet word in someones shell like in order to prevent something stupid (drivers can be their own worst enemies) escalating to unavoidable management action, finding the right person who commands respect from both the members and management and is prepared to take on the negotiations responsibilities and time involved can be hard.
I take my hat off to good fair minded stewards, they wear a number of hats well.
In the 70s and early 80s the Unions were strong and membership was essential and some jobs required you to be a member or you wouldn’t get in. Thatcher knocked the unions on the head and reduced their power to something of just a boys club. I used to be a strong unionist and agree that even today they have their place. However most companies where a union is still intact are very different nowadays. It all depends on the members themselves, unfortunately and this is not having a dig at anyone or any particular drivers, they simply do not stick together, the weak link in the chain is the members themselves. If you get a strong unionist membership then a union can work, nowadays this is rare therefore rendering the union as weak to the point of being useless. My personal opinion and that is what this is, is don’t bother unless your with a set of drivers and a company that recognise the union for what it is. Most stewards are in it simply to feather their own nests and I have even witnessed deals done to favor the company by persuading members what is best for them when in reality they are selling the members out. In short, don’t bother with unions as they only work in the right place and those places are as rare as a highly paid driving job. Unions unfortunately have had their day and it was when members stuck together.
cooper1203:
As the title really im wondering what unions there are as I have seen several official bodies mentioned on here in various posts. also can one deduct the payment that goes to the labour party from the dues. Whilst I will more than likely join when I get offered a contract as I believe the union is there for the benefit of all and therefor should be funded by all I also have strong political views.
This was in the news last year I believe, and I think the outcome was that you didn’t have to pay the Labour party bit.
pierrot 14:
En anglais SVP
The OP is considering joining a union, which one is undecided. But I gather that he Does not wish any part of his union “dues” being given to the Labour Party
I saw a while ago you can join unite independently and not through a company. Will cost you £15 a month lighter if I remember correctly. Could be wrong.
In 2016 the law was changed so that NEW members of a Union have to Opt IN to contributing towards Union Political funds which may be used to contribute to Party funds.
thehighlandscot:
I saw a while ago you can join unite independently and not through a company. Will cost you £15 a month lighter if I remember correctly. Could be wrong.
I pay mine independently, used to be deducted through the previous company but when i left and went on agency temporarily just swapped over to standing order, or DD, can’t remember which.
Many years ago I joined DATA, (which some years later amalgamated with the AEU, which even more recently became part of UNITE).
In the early 70’s I had to wear two hats, I was in charge of an office and as no-one else would take it on, also the union representative: in case any disciplinary action was required, the union rep from another department represented the member at meetings with what in those day was Personnel.
We had a dispute on terms and conditions resulting in a three week strike: in those days DATA paid strike pay of 3/4 of take-home pay for official disputes, which gave members considerable leverage against employers with full order books and customers hassling them for deliveries.
I was in the negotiations to settle, we finally achieved a 37 1/2 hour week (was 39) and 4 weeks annual holiday (improved from 2 weeks).
The full time DATA official was an absolute genius in assessing how hard or soft companies were and what was achievable.
As pointed out above, the quality of your representative is key to the success of your union.
thanks for the replies guys. I’m glad I can opt out of some of my dues going to the labourites. I am unsure on what else I can do to help the union other than pay my dues as I don’t have the personality to be a representative.
Didn’t realise some of my union fees went to the Labour party.
I did wonder why I got a vote in the leadership contest.
Juddian:
Tony101@:
Monkey241:
I grasped what he said.We have Unite at our place… about as much use as ■■■■ on a fish… but that’s probably down to personality.
Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
Just a point I am a senior workplace steward
And if I may say so a successful one. And more to the point the men are the union in your workplace and your stewards are you voted them in and like I do research education and most of all knowledge is powerI agree with the ethos of the OP, the union benefits everyone and everyone who benefits should morally do their share even if its just pay their dues.
Sadly in practice, those who refuse to join the union the reason is normally greed, they tend to be the ones who milk the benefits the union has negotiated, ie taking max advantage often unfairly of pay agreements and taking the ■■■■ out of the full sick pay, they sicken me.
WOW!
Nothing to do with the fact that the unions will involve all of its members in strike action, but are very picky when they choose which ones to help.
UNITE aka Transport and General Workers Union were on the first LOT aeroplane in 2004 recruiting new members to replace British drivers. What benefits did the Poles and Hungarians get from the unions?
UKtramp:
In the 70s and early 80s the Unions were strong and membership was essential and some jobs required you to be a member or you wouldn’t get in. Thatcher knocked the unions on the head and reduced their power to something of just a boys club. I used to be a strong unionist and agree that even today they have their place. However most companies where a union is still intact are very different nowadays. It all depends on the members themselves, unfortunately and this is not having a dig at anyone or any particular drivers, they simply do not stick together, the weak link in the chain is the members themselves. If you get a strong unionist membership then a union can work, nowadays this is rare therefore rendering the union as weak to the point of being useless. My personal opinion and that is what this is, is don’t bother unless your with a set of drivers and a company that recognise the union for what it is. Most stewards are in it simply to feather their own nests and I have even witnessed deals done to favor the company by persuading members what is best for them when in reality they are selling the members out. In short, don’t bother with unions as they only work in the right place and those places are as rare as a highly paid driving job. Unions unfortunately have had their day and it was when members stuck together.
A lot of what you say is true, most of the type of guys who I work with would not stick together for a better t.s & c.s, if you covered them in ■■■■ glue 
, but I carried on paying my Union subs mainly for legal assistance if I need it,.and help and advice whilst working for a firm who ain’t exactly known for their benevolence or favourable outlook towards their drivers.
You say ‘Don’t bother with unions’ but you can say what you like, all I can say to reply to that statement is…All lads I know who work for Union firms are sure as hell on better pay, terms, and conditions to what I am, working for a non union firm, fact !..
Make of that what you will 
cooper1203:
thanks for the replies guys. I’m glad I can opt out of some of my dues going to the labourites. I am unsure on what else I can do to help the union other than pay my dues as I don’t have the personality to be a representative.
On political levies - Part of that levy will be used to register affiliate membership to the labour party but also used to fund political campaigns, the one I can think of in the current environment is the Unite campaign to get adequate protection for bus drivers.
On what else you can do - show an interest on WHO is elected to represent you in both the work place and in national postitions. Apathy is rife and many branches have turn outs lower than local elections, even more so with this industry when drivers spend a large part of their day alone.
If there is a recognised union in your workplace that would be the one to join as you may not get the same representation if your union doesn’t have a presence, some companies prefer dealing with only 1 union and as such will not deal with others without a members recognition ballot and the required percentage achieved, it’s been a while since my steward days but from memory I think it was in excess of 60% of the workforce partipating in the ballot.
commonrail:
Didn’t realise some of my union fees went to the Labour party.
I did wonder why I got a vote in the leadership contest.
I just asked my missus if she had a vote in the leadership contest, she didnt.
Fairly certain I did.
Edit
Just checked…definitely did.
Apparently I’m an affiliated supporter
Unions need someone with a clear head. I remember when i once worked for First Northampton. We had one guy from the Municipal days who waa so militant i nearly came to blows with him one day. We were being told rotas and terms were being changed. The guy stood up and openly said he did not care about everything as long as historic terms were kept for the seniors i just gave it to him with both barrels. I told him point blank the place wont last with his attitude and sure a year later they closed the depot.