- Can I be sacked for joining the union?
Under UK law every worker has a right to join a trade union and it is illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their trade union membership or their trade union activities.
- Will I get into trouble for joining the union?
Union membership is confidential and we never divulge members details to their employer without permission.
Good employers positively encourage their employees to join trade unions because they recognise the value that trade unions bring to their company. They are happy to work with trade unions for the benefit of everyone.
Bad employers may attempt to intimidate their employees and discourage them from joining. Remember - everyone has a legal right to join a trade union and the right not to be discriminated against.
- Can belonging to the union stop me being promoted?
Trade unions believe in fairness and transparency not favour when it comes to promotion. We are committed to equality and we oppose discrimination. If our members are denied promotion due to their trade union membership we will use the law to protect our members rights.
- Will I have to go on Strike?
Trade Unions endeavour to negotiate the best deal for members through constructive dialogue and partnership with employers. Strikes are always the last resort and are actually very rare despite gaining a disproportionate amount of hostile press coverage.
Trade unions operate in line with the relevant UK employment legislation that sets out the legal requirements trade unions have to comply with before strike action is considered. The main requirement of the law is that all members concerned in a potential trade dispute are consulted prior to any action being taken. This is done through a membership ballot, that gives every member the opportunity to exercise their democratic right to vote.
- What does the union do that would help me?
The CWU has negotiates annual pay rises and has made agreements to prevent compulsory redundancies.
CWU Health and Safety Representative operate in all workplaces and the Branch Officers represent workers at grievance and disciplinary hearings on a daily basis.
- Workers in union organised companies are paid on average 17% more,
- Accidents at work are 50% lower,
- Productivity is higher,
- Redundancies are lower and any redundancy pay is higher.
Unions are democratic and accountable organisations (unlike the employers) and they only exist to serve their members.
- I work for a good employer. What have Unions ever achieved?
These are just a few of the many issues that trade unions have sucessfully campaigned for:
- National minimum wage,
- Improvements to Health and Safety laws,
- Pension protection rights,
- Equal pay,
- Maternity and Paternity leave,
- Reduced hours and entitlement to holidays through the working time directive,
- Access to training,
- Rights at Work,
- Information and Consultation rights.
All of these could have been provided by employers but despite the fact that there are some good employers, without the protection and influence of trade unions, most employers will only provide their workers with the absolute minimum entitlement.
If your employer is a good employer then they have nothing to fear from trade unions. Good employers want to work with trade unions for the benefit of the company and the people they employ.
- What if my boss says he will close down and move elsewhere if a union gets in here?
It would be economic madness for an employer to move their business just because their employees wanted to join a trade union. Some companies use this as a threat buy it is only companies that do not want to listen to the voice of their employees that use this type of threat.
If they really want to protect their employees' interests it would be better for them to work with trade union and not try to frighten and intimidate anyone who wishes to join.
Remember that scare tactics are used to try and prevent you securing proper rights. They are the tactics of the bully and are rarely translated into reality.
- My employer does not recognise the union so why should I join?
The CWU fights for union recognition rights for all its members. We have a number of high profile campaigns to gain proper negotiation rights in a number of large companies; Telewest, T-Mobile, Orange, Cable & Wireless, NTL, Business Post, COLT and TSC. The CWU will continue to make full recognition the priority in these areas.
We are always happy to support members who want to campaign for a voice at work. This may take time but the easiest way to achieve this is by recruiting enough members to gain automatic recognition. So the more workers that join the quicker this will be achieved.
