@Archers Road Bit random but I think it was you who mentioned recently how you would reccomend younger people to join a trade union? I've just started a new job within nhs and have been given a leaflet about one. Now, I'm pretty clueless when it comes to these things so I guess what I'm asking is what benefits are there from it? And is it worth the £10-15 a month or so it will cost?
If it is a permanent job then certainly join. I worked for the NHS for 34 years, the last 10 as a senior manager. The protection offered wasl very good. The culture of the NHS has changed over the years, with management becoming, some would say assertive others might call it bullying. I've been gone 10 years, however my understanding is that you will have the rights afforded by employment legislation and should you have any issues opportunity for representation and/or redress. Admittedly I am of the old school who thought a strong Union might on occasion have been an irritant to management, but in reality meant that everybody knew where they stood. So, check you local rep/shop steward is up for the task, colleagues should be able to advise. If the rep. gets the thumbs up then I would recommend you join. If you don't join and you have issues you can of course represent yourself, however most reps. are well trained and versed in employment law/issues and skilled in offering objective advice.
I absolutely agree with everything you say Tigger. I also worked in the NHS most of my life (nearly 40 years) and was a union member for the whole time, 25 years as a rep. As a rep my role was mostly seeing that management stuck to agreed procedures, and I only stepped down because I moved to a management role myself. In the last 10 years before I retired the new target-driven philosophy of the NHS meant that procedures were sometimes thrown out of the window, and a strong union membership with vigilant reps helped keep this in check. You are always better off being in a union than not, but even if you aren't a member you will benefit from the union's presence.
The UK’s Telegraph says London Metropolitan Police confirmed a woman made a report to officers on May 23, days before Top Gear returned to the air, about a “non-recent sexual assault” related to “incidents in Tower Hamlets in the 1990s.” And as a bonus: In an interview with the Sunday Times in 2005, Evans admitted his penchant for exposing himself at work. The newspaper reported that Evans “frequently exposed himself at the offices of Ginger Media Group, which owned Virgin Radio and television shows such as TFI Friday. He would interrupt meetings by standing up to pull down his tracksuit bottoms to reveal that he was sexually aroused.” At the time, Evans told the newspaper: “If you get your willy out, it’s the funniest thing in the world. Everybody laughs, everyone of our generation. I wouldn’t do it in front of my mum, for example. Girls love it; boys -‘Oh, I can’t believe you did that’. It also takes the night to a new level. I actually haven’t done it for a while. But I will do it again.” http://jalopnik.com/chris-evans-stepped-down-from-top-gear-after-police-con-1783079430
Thanks for the link Pepys. Got me here eventually. Sabine Schmitz starts from the back and passes everyone at the Nurburgring:
Getting your willy out is funny....perhaps, if you are three! Dreadful thing to do in front of people who feel they can't object.
I too, am a big believer in union membership. My nephew is currently fighting against "unfair dismissal" from a school, where he was the caretaker. Owing to budget cuts, the headmistress would ask him to carry out tasks that weren't within his job description, to save the school from having to bring in outside contractors. She also didn't provide him with the correct equipment to enable him to complete said tasks, resulting with him now being "medically disabled" as a result of a back problem that will never get better. He's not even fifty!! Despite countless meetings and a request for "medical retirement", he has been "summarily dismissed". His union has been alongside him, from day one, and in the countless meetings, they have asked a lot of loaded questions, that have elicited a lot of answers that will be used to good effect, in his defence, at his tribunal. Should it go that far. The headmistress has previous, for unfair dismissal, and that case was settled "out of court". The sole cost, to my nephew, other than his union fees, will be £156, payable from his compensation, but the support and legal advice received, has been invaluable.
It's one of the worst kinds of bullying, as far as I'm concerned because I'm sure that anyone who did object would have been told to "get a sense of humour." Puerile, inappropriate and disgusting.
Some teachers are striking today. I know some people won't like this, but I really don't like it when a strike occur. This morning I heard an interview with a striking teacher and she didn't want to listen to the effect it had on other people. For example, the thousands of parents having to make arrangements of take days off their work because their children can't go to school. Apparently less than 1 in 4 teaching union members voted to strike. Of that number it was 92% in favour and the teacher interviewed kept harping on about that number. Now it's all down to interpretation, but for me those numbers tell me that three quarters of the members didn't want to strike. Voting against would probably have been seen as bad behaviour! I know we have teachers on here, so I'm sure I won't be popular, but it's how I feel. My childrens' school currently sends all pupils home at lunchtime when there is a parents "evening"... "Evening" now being in the afternoon (again tough for some parents to attend). This happened 2 weeks ago and today my daughter is off school. I am fortunate that I work from home. Others are less fortunate. Just as a foot note before I get battered for not understanding the strain teachers are or under, I know. My wife and both mothers-in-law (yes, I have two of those) work in schools.
When I was in a union I always voted. Not always as they wanted me to . However, there were people who did not think they should vote against what the union wanted so wouldn't vote. The voting was never a high turnout and it did make me wonder how many actually wanted to strike etc. and were the unions actually representing what their membership wanted? If people had voted then everyone would have known where they stood.
I think a Union can be useful on a one to one basis (helping the individual) and en masse (their presence making employers think before acting), but I am less happy if I think they are pursuing a political agenda...losing an election, then carrying on the fight by other methods. The problem is that certain people rise to the top in some unions...decent ordinary people who probably represent the majority are also the type who don't want to sit on boring committees (and in some cases may be driven out by bullying).
