Mister M Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 With another Trade Union bill going through Parliament, I think it's worth remembering just a few things that British trade unions have achieved - especially as these are largely ignored in the biased media coverage: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/15/trade-union-bill-9-things-theyve-done-that-have-change-work-for-us-all_n_8141778.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penistone999 Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions are nothing but trouble. Trying to hold companies and the Government to ransom all the time. The sooner trade unions are made illegal , the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions are nothing but trouble. Trying to hold companies and the Government to ransom all the time. The sooner trade unions are made illegal , the better. Unions are the largest voluntary organisation in the country. They will not be made illegal. There are many illegal practices that some people engage in that should be clamped down on. The freedom to associate isn't one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 With another Trade Union bill going through Parliament, I think it's worth remembering just a few things that British trade unions have achieved - especially as these are largely ignored in the biased media coverage: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/09/15/trade-union-bill-9-things-theyve-done-that-have-change-work-for-us-all_n_8141778.html Unions have done a great deal, but I see it more as a past tense thing now. The EU does more for the working man now than the unions do. As the article points out actually when you read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrystottle Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) The EU does a lot more for global capitalists than it has ever done for the working man. Like allowing them to avoid paying billions in tax by registering their headquarters in tax havens like Luxembourg. Today's unions may be pretty dire but they did a lot for ordinary people in the past. Edited December 1, 2015 by Harrystottle mistake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions have done a great deal, but I see it more as a past tense thing now. The EU does more for the working man now than the unions do. As the article points out actually when you read it. Unions, only last year, helped people to get holiday pay on all the hours that a person works, instead of just the regular hours. Unions for many large organisations are the link between management and the workers. I am sure they could do a better job, but that is up to the workers and unions co-operating more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodmally Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions are the largest voluntary organisation in the country. They will not be made illegal. There are many illegal practices that some people engage in that should be clamped down on. The freedom to associate isn't one of them. What have the unions done? Tube strike shut down the capital for what? They wouldn't work the occasional night shift with their over inflated wages. Bus strike in Sheffield because someone had his hand in the till and rightly got sacked. Tube strike over sacking of a guy with alcohol in his system. Heaven forbid we dared to sack someone that could have killed people. BA flight attendant strike over loss of perks even though BA was running at a loss and people could have lost their jobs. Northern Rail strike (thankfully averted because they didn't hold a correct ballot) unhappy that the new franchise owner MAY reduce staff. (A rumour). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samssong Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions are nothing but trouble. Trying to hold companies and the Government to ransom all the time. The sooner trade unions are made illegal , the better. What a silly ,stupid ill informed comment this is. Without unions and trade unionists the working people of this Country would still be tipping their caps to the Land owners, factory bosses and land lords that have for centuries ground them into early graves while at the same time those leaches lived of the fat of the land. Margret Thatcher turned her police force [yes the Tory police force at that time ]on to the miners in 1984 and the establishment ably backed by the B.B.C. and the Tory rags [Times ,Sun,Daily Mail etc] blackened the Unions name by distorting news and headlines on a daily basis. The same thing continues to this day ably backed by channel 5 ,Jeremy Kyle and the same Tory newspapers that portray the unemployed as feckless lazy wasters who should go back a hundred years and once again start bowing down to the privately educated posh boys [from both parties ] who now run this Country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodmally Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 What a silly ,stupid ill informed comment this is. Without unions and trade unionists the working people of this Country would still be tipping their caps to the Land owners, factory bosses and land lords that have for centuries ground them into early graves while at the same time those leaches lived of the fat of the land. Margret Thatcher turned her police force [yes the Tory police force at that time ]on to the miners in 1984 and the establishment ably backed by the B.B.C. and the Tory rags [Times ,Sun,Daily Mail etc] blackened the Unions name by distorting news and headlines on a daily basis. The same thing continues to this day ably backed by channel 5 ,Jeremy Kyle and the same Tory newspapers that portray the unemployed as feckless lazy wasters who should go back a hundred years and once again start bowing down to the privately educated posh boys [from both parties ] who now run this Country. I agree but highlighting the examples I mentioned above they have way too much power and strike for stupid reasons. The thieving bus driver and tube driver over the limit are two of the stupidest I have read about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share Posted December 1, 2015 Unions have done a great deal, but I see it more as a past tense thing now. The EU does more for the working man now than the unions do. As the article points out actually when you read it. I did read the article before I posted it, thanks. The article makes reference to the fact that although the EU introduced the basic legal right to paid-for annual leave, it is the trade unions which fought for enhanced entitlements over and above the basic EU provision. The EU itself acknowledged that "Trade unions play a primary role in fighting against discrimination through a variety of actions and tools". Where active they play a big role in supporting people through times of insecurity and stress at work, and many small victories for their members are won by virtue of the hard work of union reps. Many of these victories are under reported, presumably because they're not considered newsworthy, but nevertheless underline the need for trade unions today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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