Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
There's no doubt they do a lot of good in the workplace, but the problem is, instead of running like a sort of workplace insurance scheme, with services available to members in return for a fee, they have actively positioned themselves as political organisations. The vast majority of trade unions continue to be affiliated to the Labour Party. For that reason I could never join one - even if I were to opt out the political levy, I would not want the fact of my membership to lend legitimacy to any of the industrial dinosaurs that lead the movement.
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I wouldn't want to be part of a trade union that wasn't political.
One of the main functions of a trade union is to lobby parliament to improve the lot of it's members. It will do this irrespective of you paying the political levy.
The dinosaurs still exist in the trade union movement but their influence is becoming more diluted as they become less relevant. Comparing modern trade unions to the NUM of the 70s is comparing chalk to cheese. Even those classed now as left wingers would have been consider and moderate 30 years ago.
There probably isn't a lot a trade union can do for you personally, Chris, but for millions of people they are relevant and important.
---------- Post added at 17:16 ---------- Previous post was at 17:05 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Top banana
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The Gloucester office is closing after a consultation, the Bristol office is in dispute because of changes to workload. I'm not sure what comparison you're trying to make here?