Rebuilding the Union movement?

[KeyboardJockey]

Show me where todays age understands consumerism?
They are force fed consumerism maybe, but that is not evidence that it is accepted.

Just sit and listen in pubs, public transport and workplaces especially to the young workers. There is more interest in what people are buying and want to buy in getting together for mutual interest. This desire to get together MUST be rebuilt but the current way is not the way to do it.

People are used to the idea now of chopping and changing utilities and phone suppliers so why not unions. A good union will expand in a workplace a shit one will not.

 

[poster342002]

You know what? Bosses can be in unions, too

I know it seems strange, but "bosses", at least in the larger organisations and the public sector, also have employment rights and need support at work. Admittedly, they are not always much good at the campaigning, showing solidarity with the working class, stuff but, again, it worries me that people think of trade uions as first and foremost political bodies when, in fact, they are organisations of workers supporting each other at work. Anything beyond that should be as a result of the interests and needs of the membership, and not because of any other political pressure from within or without.

Lets employ sharks as lifeguards while we're at it.

 

[poster342002]

This was a problem when UNISON came into being, and the porters in hospitals, who had been active NUPE members, discovered that the HR manager and the Chief Executive, against whom they were collectively and individually aggrieved, were also UNISON members.

And what happened? How was that situation resolved? Sounds like a gross conflict of interest, to me.

 

[Guineveretoo]

And what happened? Sounds like a gross conflict of interest, to me.

It had always been an issue for Nalgo, but they had worked out a mechanism for dealing with it, to ensure no direct conflict. UNISON developed the same sort of mechanism, but not before quite a lot of UNISON members amongst the senior ranks had left and joined other trade unions.

This will remain a problem for as long as we keep merging trade unions, so that there is only one union in an industry/workplace.