Unions???

First of all, the most important aspect of union membership is that it will cost you money! ;D ;D ;D

I think it's something like £10 a month for RMT & £20 for ASLEF - dunno about TSSA.

Most people see union membership as being a type of insurance policy; if you should find yourself in bother, the union reps are there to offer advice, etc. Unions also offer, in theory at least, a collective bargaining tool with regard to getting and maintaining good pay & conditions deals.

Union membership isn't compulsory, but despite my own personal views, I'd recommend you consider joining one.

• RMT (Rail Maritime & Transport) is for all grades, and as you'll see above, it's cheaper too - but like anything in this world, you get what you pay for
  
• ASLEF (Associated society of Locomotive Engineers & Firemen) is essentially a drivers only union - and it costs more
  
• TSSA (Transport & Staffs Salaried Association) is aimed more at the white collar rail staff, but is open to most grades - has a reputation for being rather weak at endorsing things like strike action (they prefer to talk.......and talk.......and talk......)

In a nut shell,

• Station staff usually go with RMT
  
• Drivers have the choice of RMT or ASLEF
  
• Managers & others usually go with TSSA, but have the choice of RMT as well
  

EDIT: Good luck in the new job BTW!!

Dave! Just like TB has said. But I'll add that it'd be wise to join a Union that most of the other staff in your department are in! You might not agree with a number of things that they do and their fondness for garden parties, but they will help to protect your employment terms and conditions should the need arise...

Good Luck!

When I joined LT it was a closed shop so I didn't have a choice. The NUR as it was then was very militant at the time and I was always being invited to secondary picketting at places like Grunwick's (yes who remembers that after 30 years). For my money the NUR was militant then, too militant, but it went with the times and when Jimmy Knapp came along things improved in many ways. When the closed shop ceased I never thought to leave the union, I didn't agree with many of its tactics but it was better to be in it than not and even though the union has done a disservice to some members since Bob Crowe took control and the PPP carved up the combine I still think it is good to be in a union.

Brian

I'd say join a union... apart from the protection issue for employment rights, terms and conds... they do offer a package of other benefits too...

Thanks for all the great help and comments so far. It has helped me enormously!

I have no idea whether HEx are part of the unions within BAA, or whether it will be up to me to choose one (the RMT seems the most obvious if so). But if it is the RMT, as an example, and the RMT members of LU were to strike again, would I be expected to join them as a member of the RMT, or would it only be within LU?

Cheers,

Dave (UD)

Just to clarify some points:

1) Union membership is an insurance policy as such. You hopefully will only ever use your free diary, but they are always their for you when things go wrong. Remember you're in a safety critical work enviroment and things can go wrong.

2) Personally, wait until you receive your union introduction. You'll find some unions are better at presenting themselves than others. Also dont forget you're free to change union. So if you join RMT and find them useless, you're free to join TSSA say. However from experience, your local reps are the key pointers. If there is a great TSSA rep (like on my last 3 groups) then TSSA would be a better choice, although the union itself may be seen as weak. The same obviously applies to RMT and it's militacy.

3) As a trade union member, you have certain legal safeguards. You have the right to withdraw your labour for a certain period of time (less than 28 days from memory) without fear of being sacked. However the legal rules regarding unions and strikes have been watered down over the years. So to explain the senario, you will only be expected to strike if you've received a ballot paper for strike action. So although a RMT member say, if they ballot on the drivers, you'd be expected to work as normal. However the union would likely hold a picket line and it's your personal choice as to cross a picket line or not. Recent RMT strikes on LU saw RMT drivers work whilst RMT station staff striked and RMT LU staff work whilst RMT Metronet staff striked.

Dave - to echo what has already been said. I'd strongly advise joining a union. The choice is obviously yours. Don't rush the decision and remember you can leave and join another if you want.

I dont like striking, but as a last case scenario, it is sometimes required. So you wont join a union? That is your choice. Your colleagues vote in ballots for industrial action, vote for industral action even, lose a day's or even more in pay....management compromises with union, working conditions/pay are improved as a result of the action....so your colleagues and union have done you a good turn, what do you do in return?

You might not like the unions, but they benefit you, and your not even a member!

Have a broose at

www.rmt.org.uk
and
www.tssa.org.uk

Sure!!! What you could do, is call or email the relevant union and ask them the questions you'd like answering... Remember, they are there to help YOU...