Thinking Of Joining The IWW

[Voley]

I see it mentioned here reasonably frequently as a decent union. Their ethos looks sound from their website. Since leaving UNISON I've not been in a union and this needs to change.

Anyone got experience of them?

 

[DrRingDing]

You'll need to be dual carded as IWW is a campaigning union and does not have the resources to provide the insurances/assurances that a big union can give.

 

[Voley]

You'll need to be dual carded as IWW is a campaigning union and does not have the resources to provide the insurances/assurances that a big union can give.

Ah right. That's worth knowing, ta.

 

[Voley]

Maybe I'll go back to The GMB as my primary one, then. I do like the IWW's stance that managers can't be members though - I've been in unions before that also represented the very people making people redundant.

marty21 / anyone else in social housing - what union are you in?

 

[DrRingDing]

Maybe I'll go back to The GMB as my primary one, then. I do like the IWW's stance that managers can't be members though - I've been in unions before that also represented the very people making people redundant.

marty21 / anyone else in social housing - what union are you in?

I used to work for a housing association and we were Unison.

 

[Blagsta]

Which union has a collective bargaining agreement with your employer?

 

[BigTom]

You'll need to be dual carded as IWW is a campaigning union and does not have the resources to provide the insurances/assurances that a big union can give.

Some of the local branches are big enough to provide reps when needed, but not the access to legal services that tuc unions can.

 

[cesare]

It would be interesting to know how helpful the legal departments of the big TUs are, when push comes to shove.

 

[Voley]

Which union has a collective bargaining agreement with your employer?

Well there's the rub. Most folk are in UNISON but they're really not very good.

 

[Voley]

Dunno if GMB are formally recognised at mine. I'll have to investigate. They weren't bad when I was a member in London.

 

[Spark]

It would be interesting to know how helpful the legal departments of the big TUs are, when push comes to shove.

Depends on how good your local reps are at referring potential cases on and also the merits of the case itself usually. The changes to civil legal funding since the tories have been in have had a massive impact on the unions' ability to provide legal services to members in a cost effective way.

 

[marty21]

Maybe I'll go back to The GMB as my primary one, then. I do like the IWW's stance that managers can't be members though - I've been in unions before that also represented the very people making people redundant.

marty21 / anyone else in social housing - what union are you in?

Unison

 

[Guineveretoo]

Any union is only as good as its local branch/rep, really. Unison, as the second biggest, has lots of resources it can call on, including its own legal department as well as an agreement with law firms specialising in employment and equality law, but the majority of members don't get anywhere near that, because what they need is local representation, and that is where the local branch/rep comes in. There are officials, who are employed by the union, but they are somewhat stretched, and mostly only tend to represent and advise the big cases, which do need that legal advice, or they work with the local branch to set up a network of reps.

Can I ask why you left Unison?

 

[Guineveretoo]

I think Unison is the main trade union in social housing, but I am pretty sure that Unite and GMB also have branches in that field. However, the main consideration should be which union, if any, is officially recognised by your employer, because they are the ones who will be doing the collective negotiations, and will know the management.

 

[dolly's gal]

i'd rather eat my own face than join unison. saying that, i recently left unite and find myself in a similar position to you Voley, which union to join. i had some email from someone at work asking me to join a union that represented "senior civil servants"; on asking them they revealed they didn't believe in strike action, so that was a definite no

 

[Santino]

Contact the IWGB and set up your own branch for housing workers.

 

[ddraig]

Any union is only as good as its local branch/rep, really. Unison, as the second biggest, has lots of resources it can call on, including its own legal department as well as an agreement with law firms specialising in employment and equality law, but the majority of members don't get anywhere near that, because what they need is local representation, and that is where the local branch/rep comes in. There are officials, who are employed by the union, but they are somewhat stretched, and mostly only tend to represent and advise the big cases, which do need that legal advice, or they work with the local branch to set up a network of reps.

Can I ask why you left Unison?

"stretched"??? how about lazy, comfortable and complacent
people in paid positions should be making more of an effort

 

[ddraig]

i'm a FW tho out of work atm and the branch here has been growing quite a bit, more regional meetings and some trained as reps
think we've had a couple of wins too.
done anti workfare and other demos and helping to set up a substance misuse workers group and a claimants group

ime it is very supportive and ready to act

 

[Guineveretoo]

"stretched"??? how about lazy, comfortable and complacent
people in paid positions should be making more of an effort

That's unfair. I know lots of trade union officials who go way beyond what they are paid to do. You may know some who are "lazy, comfortable and complacent", but that is certainly not true of all of them.

The fact is that trade unions are struggling, for many reasons, and that includes there not being enough full time, paid officials to do everything!

 

[ddraig]

yes there is that
there are also some like labour politicians who are cosy and do the minimum
UNISON are a joke these days and i gave them too much of my time and energy

 

[Guineveretoo]

yes there is that
there are also some like labour politicians who are cosy and do the minimum
UNISON are a joke these days and i gave them too much of my time and energy

I am sure that parts of Unison are crap, and I have certainly heard stories from members who tell me that, but I have also heard stories from members elsewhere who think it is a brilliant union.

There is no simple answer, really. People expect too much from local representatives, who no longer, if they ever did, get enough time off to be able to provide the support needed. This puts more pressure on the paid officials, whose job really isn't to provide representation at a local grievance meeting, and this pisses off members who feel unsupported.

There is not enough of the collectiveness these days, and the unions have been severely weakened by the bastard Tories. However, if everyone in a workplace joined Unison, and elected representatives, and asserted their rights to be accompanied, and the reps' right to time off to accompany others etc., we might start getting somewhere. But so long as there are people like the guy I sat next to at the Labour leaders hustings yesterday, who told me that he had never been a member of a union, because he didn't need to waste his money on such things, as he could benefit from union successes collectively without paying anything, and was far too lucky/clever/whatever to need individual representation.

 

[ddraig]

"people expect too much from local representatives" then "there is not enough collectiveness these days"
agree with the 2nd one but people in general think that if someone is getting paid to represent them then they should

I am not talking about elected reps at branch level, I am talking about paid officers who work from the nice offices and who you might see at conference, the odd event and rarely at work places.

please don't conflate union members lack of collectiveness with scab types who take the wins without putting anything in themselves

 

[Voley]

Can I ask why you left Unison?

Sure. They lacked the most basic administrative skills. They never replied to a single email I ever sent them. I only heard about an important meeting concerning a reorganisation/redundancies on the grapevine - they didn't write/email me about it. They had my name wrong from the start - it was beyond them to change this. After I left they didn't realise and kept sending me ballot papers for important votes etc for aaaaaaaaaages afterwards. They still write to me like I'm a member once in a while. With my name wrong.

 

[Guineveretoo]

Sure. They lacked the most basic administrative skills. They never replied to a single email I ever sent them. I only heard about an important meeting concerning a reorganisation/redundancies on the grapevine - they didn't write/email me about it. They had my name wrong from the start - it was beyond them to change this. After I left they didn't realise and kept sending me ballot papers for important votes etc for aaaaaaaaaages afterwards. They still write to me like I'm a member once in a while. With my name wrong.

Okay, well that is probably down to the local branch as well, I am afraid, as they have to do the administrative stuff, too, and it is very difficult to find people to do that on top of their jobs, as they are not, usually, entitled to time off for this, particularly since the recent attacks on trade unions from the coalition, which was pushing hard to stop people from being able to do stuff like this. In the bigger branches, they sometimes employ admin staff, but I am guessing that yours was not one of those.

 

[Sprocket.]

I see it mentioned here reasonably frequently as a decent union. Their ethos looks sound from their website. Since leaving UNISON I've not been in a union and this needs to change.

Anyone got experience of them?

Have you joined another Trade Union and the IWW or still looking for one?

I too have looked at the IWWW a few times and not done anything about it.

 

[ddraig]

do it! Welsh wobs still growing and winning here!

 

[Jon-of-arc]

i'd rather eat my own face than join unison. saying that, i recently left unite and find myself in a similar position to you Voley, which union to join. i had some email from someone at work asking me to join a union that represented "senior civil servants"; on asking them they revealed they didn't believe in strike action, so that was a definite no

Well, there's an active wobblies branch in your current area of residence. Time to take the plunge, Shirley?

I don't know about your job though - as far as I'm aware IWW has a "no managers" membership policy. I think this refers to having "hiring and firing" power, which I don't know whether you have or not, but "senior civil servant" would at least be a grey area...?

 

[Jon-of-arc]

Do the IWW still have a lower rate for dual carders? I used to pay a quid a month, when I was in the CWU.

Also, some of their rates are pretty eye-watering, looking at https://iww.org.uk/join - 1% of your salary, for people on "£2,478 (after tax) or more". I assume this works out to be putting you in top tier tax bracket, but would be around £300 a year (minimum), which might be a bit steep for someone trying to eg raise a family in London on 50k a year. Especially as they encourage dual carding...

 

[dolly's gal]

Well, there's an active wobblies branch in your current area of residence. Time to take the plunge, Shirley?

I don't know about your job though - as far as I'm aware IWW has a "no managers" membership policy. I think this refers to having "hiring and firing" power, which I don't know whether you have or not, but "senior civil servant" would at least be a grey area...?

i've no doubt the IWW would consider me as management scum

 

[Jon-of-arc]

i've no doubt the IWW would be consider me as management scum

My membership of said organisation makes official my pre-conceived opinion.