I worked at a sub office up to August last year and then left when I started university. I'm going to be starting back at the same office (though under different management) the week after next. I was just wondering if anyone had any opinion on whether it's worth joining a union? I've looked at the CWU, Usdaw and Unite - Unite do a £12/year deal for students which seems pretty decent, but I'm not sure if maybe it's not worth joining because it's not really a relevant sector.
USDAW - Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers - Not really a Union for Posties and not sure if they would be much help in any disputes you have with RM. Also from what I here there are not the most militant union and don't have a good record of protecting their members rights.
Unite/CWU - Both are represented within RM but are grade specfic. If you are going to be a Postie then the CWU is the right grade. If a manager then their Union CMA (Communication Managers Association) comes under Unite.
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TrueBlueTerrier wrote:USDAW - Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers - Not really a Union for Posties and not sure if they would be much help in any disputes you have with RM. Also from what I here there are not the most militant union and don't have a good record of protecting their members rights.
Unite/CWU - Both are represented within RM but are grade specfic. If you are going to be a Postie then the CWU is the right grade. If a manager then their Union CMA (Communication Managers Association) comes under Unite.
I'm going to be working on the PO counter in a franchise office, so I thought maybe Usdaw would be the one since I suppose it's kind of like a shop - even moreso now that it's started selling greetings cards since I last worked there
EDIT: I've also heard from some friends that Usdaw are a bit tame, but I guess there must be some reason they're called the Usdawgs
If by franchise you mean WHSmiths (WHshits) then it will be Unite. If a sub office then probably the CWU although not entirely sure that Counter Clerks at Subs POs can join as they did not go on strike when counter colleagues did in 2007.
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The correct Union to join is clearly the CWU. However you would need to ask a few questions around does the Union have representative rights over your pay and conditions with your employer. But even if they do not, what are the other benefits of membership, eg legal assistance, etc such things can be worth the membership fees alone.
subbie wrote:The correct Union to join is clearly the CWU. However you would need to ask a few questions around does the Union have representative rights over your pay and conditions with your employer. But even if they do not, what are the other benefits of membership, eg legal assistance, etc such things can be worth the membership fees alone.
Subbie
I emailed the CWU to ask and they said they would have no power over pay and conditions because they have no collective agreement with the employer, which is why I thought perhaps the Unite deal at £12 for the year looked good since the only thing I'd be able to take advantage of would really be the legal assistance.
CMA (Communication Managers Association) comes under Unite.