The whole lecture would take an hour or so of your time but it is well worthed it.
Tories have just passed a law so companies can bring in union staff to replace striking workers, well done to all the Boris fanboys for enabling this.
Darkside:
Tories have just passed a law so companies can bring in AGENCY staff to replace striking workers, well done to all the Boris fanboys for enabling this.
Corrected for you.
I don’t see how this is a problem. Eg. If every rail worker in the country felt strongly enough about a problem that they wanted to strike, there is not another 100% strong agency railway workforce waiting in the wings.
It’s just when a few irritating ■■■■■■■■ want to ■■■■ everything up for the majority. (Like Just Stop Oil and Fair Fuel tax groups (why they take the same action, god only knows [emoji849]))
Darkside:
Tories have just passed a law so companies can bring in union staff to replace striking workers, well done to all the Boris fanboys for enabling this.
!. Surely you mean NON UNION STAFF ■■
- The Government have used the Military for decades to combat strikes.
Thanks for the correction, yes I meant Agency staff.
When was the last time the military were deployed to replace striking workers?
I agree high skilled workers won’t be replaced, but generally high skilled workers are on good money and terms anyway. What it means is that it has took any strength away from the staff that have a pool of agency bods to take their place.
stu675:
Optimum:
I recommend URTU.
The legal protection and employer protection alone are worth the subscription. There may be trouble ahead.Given Rob’s experience, is your recommendation based on experience, or what they say they will do for you?
Yes, my recommendation based on experience.
Darkside:
Thanks for the correction, yes I meant Agency staff.When was the last time the military were deployed to replace striking workers?
I agree high skilled workers won’t be replaced, but generally high skilled workers are on good money and terms anyway. What it means is that it has took any strength away from the staff that have a pool of agency bods to take their place.
Fire brigade strikes ambulance strikes etc, fuel tanker driver strikes .
discoman:
Darkside:
Thanks for the correction, yes I meant Agency staff.When was the last time the military were deployed to replace striking workers?
I agree high skilled workers won’t be replaced, but generally high skilled workers are on good money and terms anyway. What it means is that it has took any strength away from the staff that have a pool of agency bods to take their place.
Fire brigade strikes ambulance strikes etc, fuel tanker driver strikes .
I can’t remember them, any examples?
Optimum:
stu675:
Optimum:
I recommend URTU.
The legal protection and employer protection alone are worth the subscription. There may be trouble ahead.Given Rob’s experience, is your recommendation based on experience, or what they say they will do for you?
Yes, my recommendation based on experience.
Your experience of them was obviously better than what mine was then. 
You’ve got to speak as you find, but imo waste of ■■■■ time.
Are you an area rep or official by any chance? 
I’m with unite and they recommended a 2% pay rise for us….yet you go on unites Facebook page and it’s 5% here and 7 % there and 9% at this mob etc
Just got 30 day lettered for a big t&c change and again no fight.
Never seen sight nor sound of the percentage of dues that are supposed to come back to your branch.
Driver sacked just before Christmas for hitting and unmarked bridge with a 16’2. union tried to fight it but lost. Fella went to a employment solicitor off his own back, got his job back and loss of earnings. I ■■■■ you not!
It’s roughly £3.50 a week, I’m thinking of ditching it. £180 odd bangers a year
Only as good as your reps lingo and ours has lost his heart. Used to be a right militant fighter but now a wee ■■■■■ since new management took over.
I feel although a unions only any good if a healthy proportion of the drivers at a firm are actually in it. It’s no good only a handful being in it & then moaning it isn’t any good, the power & leverage comes with numbers.
At the end of the day, the reality is that workplaces who have a strong unionised workforce enjoy better T&C’s than most. And it’s not just about take home pay, also sick pay, pensions etc. How many drivers have long term service for transport companies but would still get left on SSP if they broke their leg and retire on pensions worth peanuts.
There are only 2 unions for HGV drivers, as far as I know. URTU and Unite.
Any Union is only as strong as its membership. If they are willing to do what’s needed, it’s strong. But only if a large percentage of the workforce is in the union.
A union representing 10% of a workforce isn’t strong, however willing that membership may be.
30 years ago, after leaving the army, I ended up working for BRS. I thought it would be a good idea to join a union as it was such a big company.
So I wrote to URTU and the Transport & General Workers Union, asking them essentially, what did I get for my money. T & G became part of Unite.
They both wrote back. T & G said, send us your money, we’ll let you know. URTU sent me a nice letter and a big folder full of all sorts of info. I joined URTU.
They had my back a few times in arguments with BRS, I haven’t needed them since.
This is my own opinion.
Even back then T&G was a huge union, the transport side was only a small part of it. Since they became part of Unite, the transport side has become a tiny part.
With so many divisions, my opinion is that Unite has too many conflicting interests. If Unite called a strike, 1 out all out type of thing, the country would grind to a halt pretty quickly.
But they won’t, because they represent members in just about every industry. Striking on behalf of the transport industry would conflict with the desires of another industry in their portfolio. And it would be the same, whichever industry you were in.
Unite have just won a 12% pay rise for the Sainsbury’s hgv driver’s at Basingstoke 
I’ve been a member of Unite since 1996, in this time I’ve seen weakness and strength from the union. For me Sharon Graham (general secretary of Unite the Union) is making big waves in the transport industry. I’m also glad once again to work for a company that recognises a union. As previously mentioned a union is only as good as its members and shop stewards.
Lots of unions have legal representatives. Remember, you’re driving a big vehicle for a living. If the brown stuff hits the fan, you may wish to have someone on your side.
It’s worth paying the £10 or £15 per month in my opinion, even if you don’t have a workplace union rep.
You can join pretty much any union and they’ll represent you.
carryfast-yeti:
Unite have just won a 12% pay rise for the Sainsbury’s hgv driver’s at Basingstoke
Since last hear, many companies have offered big pay rises to drivers.Nows the time for unions to do this especially with the big corporate companies who can afford to pay their staff more.
Shortly after I retired I was informed by my pension administrator that my pension had been miscalculated and was being reduced by 22%. I was advised that I could keep the extra money I had been already paid.
I contacted the union I had been a member of for nearly twenty years and they agreed to represent me through the appeal procedure, there being three stages if required.
After the first appeal was turned down the union man suggested that I accept what I had been offered and call it a day. I chose to go to the next stage on my own and won the case and my pension was reinstated to the original value and has been paid ever since with the annual increases. If I had followed the advice of the union man I would have lost around £50,000 over the sixteen years since I retired.