glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
More to the point, if your reps are incompetent, why are you just whinging about it rather than standing to replace them?
Civil Service union - PCS - votes for strikes over pay
- Thread starter Groucho
- Start date
a) because I don't particularly want to - I don't think competent union representation should be contingent on being a rep yourself
b) I've got fundamental doubts about the whole union at several levels. I'm not massively inspired by the competence of our BEC, the person who came down to tal to us from our departmental GEC was a joke and I don't really see the national GEC doing an awful lot worthwhile either.
b) I've got fundamental doubts about the whole union at several levels. I'm not massively inspired by the competence of our BEC, the person who came down to tal to us from our departmental GEC was a joke and I don't really see the national GEC doing an awful lot worthwhile either.
nightbreed
Im Bored
Leave your job then mate!! You are not offering anything constructive.
Anyway , back in the real world the SWP havent quite endorsed the PCS executive line.
PCS union signs up to bad deal
The national executive committee of the PCS civil service workers’ union this week delivered a setback to all those fighting against cuts in services and the cap on public sector pay.
The committee voted to accept a national agreement that allows “efficiency savings” in departments, and other bodies to be used to increase pay in the same area.
A letter from Gus O’Donnell, the cabinet secretary, to PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka reveals the major flaws with the deal.
It states that any changes will have to be consistent with government principles by “modernising pay systems to improve support for good performance” – in other words performance related pay.
The agreement will also “need to recognise the implications of the challenging economic circumstances on public finances”.
O’Donnell writes that departments will “seek to resolve existing pay disputes, without reopening any agreed or imposed existing pay settlements”.
This means that many poor pay deals across the civil service will remain in place.
All of this is very far from the union’s demands.
Socialist Worker supporters on the executive voted against the agreement and argued that the union should instead call out its over 250,000 members in the civil service out on strike.
http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16634
Well, thats told the PCS executive then, hasnt it.
glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
I don't understand this.
You moan about the reps but aren't prepared to do anything about it by either standing for rep or finding a colleague who feels the same way to do so.
Given that the rest of your post is department specific I can't comment. Sector and national bodies will always be rubbish unless people who want to improve them stand for election.
Sympathy - 0
poster342002
PROPER leftwing socialist
Have you ever tried to stand in election against an entrenched set of reps - "elected" unopposed year after year by a membership that doesn't care less?
nightbreed
Im Bored
audiotech
wav, aiff, mp3, ogg, flac
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
nightbreed
Im Bored
Dont humour him. He is on the brink.
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
Threads like these are so much more enjoyable since I discovered how to put certain people on 'ignore'.
You can beat an entrenched leadership only by the membership getting off of their arses if you cant get them off of their arses then you are fucked.
You can criticize me for not watning to become part of the union hierachy - it just doesn't appeal to me at all. It doesn't excuse the poor quality of the current Union leadership tho'.
WHen soemone criticizes the government, no-one tells them to shut-up up and become an MP.
WHen soemone criticizes the government, no-one tells them to shut-up up and become an MP.
glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
No but if you criticise your MP, I'd suggest you vote for someone else.
If your MP was elected unopposed last time then I might suggest you stand against them yourself.
This is a rather smaller situation where it's a good deal easier to actually do something about it. But if you see taking even the slightest bit of responsibility for yourself as "becoming part of the union hierarchy" then I suspect you'll never be happy with your shop stewards.
If your MP was elected unopposed last time then I might suggest you stand against them yourself.
This is a rather smaller situation where it's a good deal easier to actually do something about it. But if you see taking even the slightest bit of responsibility for yourself as "becoming part of the union hierarchy" then I suspect you'll never be happy with your shop stewards.
Looby
Well-Known Member
Yep, it has happened in my branch in recent years and the existing reps are actually pretty relieved to be sharing the load. There are now 7 reps trained to deal with personal cases when 2 years ago there were only 2. We are going to be setting up a BWAC, we have an LGBT rep when we didn't previously, I have just taken over from the branch organiser who in 3 years achieved so much I'm a bit scared frankly.
poster342002
PROPER leftwing socialist
Indeed. And I doubt it's possible in many areas.
I'm unhappy with uinon on a fundamnetal level - from the GEC downwards, if I was to run and get onto the BEC I doubt me standing as a rep would get rid of the entrenched culture in the union and like I said I don't want to do it.
I feel entirely within my rights to criticize the useless buggers when I pay something liek £8 a month towards them.
My best option is to leave the union
glenquagmire
Rightwing NuLab apologist
Well that's actually your worst option, but don't let that stop you.
What if what is on offer in one union is two types of turd? Not really much of a choice there.
However you can do what I did which is to leave a useless union and join another one.
Maybe unions competing for members in the workplace is just the thing to reinvigorate them.
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
Oh shoo, with your boring, repetitive obsession!
At least I did something positive.
Guineveretoo
Mostly bewildered
No you didn't
Unless you count going on and on ad nauseam on a bulletin board about how awful your union is and how you became the only member of an unrecognised union instead, is positive.
What is GMB going to do about your pay next year? What are they going to do about the threat to your pension? What about the threat to your job from the efficiency reviews? The answer is nothing.
Anyway, go away. This thread is not about you and your sole membership of that union. It's about collective action/issues, and I am interested in how PCS members feel about what is going on, and what their leadership are now doing about the "national pay talks" and the cancellation of the national strike. You no longer have a voice in that debate, because you resigned from PCS.
dennisr
the acceptable face
quote of the year for Zachor
Fedayn
Well-Known Member
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