Posts Tagged “reps”

Carl Roper
Union reps: A better investment than a FTSE250 company

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Today, the TUC releases new research that shows the significant benefits that workplace union reps produce for employers and taxpayers. The report also reveals serious inaccuracies in figures used by the so-called Taxpayers Alliance relating to the cost of paid time off.

“Facility Time for union reps – separating fact from fiction” not only updates the value of the savings to employers and the taxpayer that result from the work that reps do, but also reveals a significant return on investment in relation to the cost of the paid time off that reps receive.

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Posted on January 24th, 2012 by Carl Roper filed under: Union reps
Carl Roper
Investment banker attacks workplace volunteers

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Jesse Norman MP. Cartoon © Alex Hughes

If I was to tell you that today, a former employee of an industry that in 2009 received a bailout from the taxpayer amounting to over £1 TRILLION (and that still owes over £450 BILLION) was to move a motion attacking volunteer workplace union reps and demanding that unions should be forced to repay employers for the time they have negotiated that allows workplace reps to represent employees and negotiate with employers, you would think I’d taken leave of my senses.

But that’s exactly what is going to happen today when Jesse Norman MP, a former Barclays Investment banker stands up and moves a 10 Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons.

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Posted on January 11th, 2012 by Carl Roper filed under: Union reps
Richard Exell
Pay bargaining and injustice

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On 21 February the TUC will be holding its annual Pay Bargaining Forum with Incomes Data Services. (More details, or register) It’s about equipping union representatives with facts and arguments that will be useful in the 2012 pay negotiations; this is the bread and butter of trades unionism, but we’re consciously putting that in the context of unions’ long-term struggle for a fairer world.

So in addition to a practical “Pay Negotiators’ Tool Box” we’ll also be looking at how to challenge the fragmentation of bargaining and taking on some of the myths that are being promoted by our opponents. A good example of this sort of thing is the Chancellor’s claim in his Autumn Statement that:

“public sector pay has risen at twice the rate of private sector pay over the last four years.”

In a brilliant recent post, Alastair Hatchett of IDS (who’ll be one of the speakers at the conference) took this claim apart.

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Posted on December 19th, 2011 by Richard Exell filed under: Union reps
Hugh Robertson
Safety: The ‘union effect’ is as strong as ever

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You would have thought that if there were a proved way of cutting workplace deaths by a half, and making cutting all injuries by about a quarter then employers and the Government would jump at it.

Well there is and it is called union health and safety representatives.

The TUC has just updated and republished its report on the effect that unions have on health and safety taking into account new research over the past six years and surprise, surprise, the new evidence shows that the Union Effect is just as strong as ever. Among the new research is a government report that claims British Industry saved between £181m and £578m each year as a result of lost time reduction from occupational injuries and work-related illnesses of between 286,000 and 616,000 days as a result of trade union representatives.

Yet in the workplace, instead of finding employers jumping over themselves to encourage union representatives and joint safety committees, health and safety representatives still find it an uphill battle to get their employers to give them access to time off or to consult them. A TUC survey of health and safety representatives showed that time off was the biggest problem for representatives, including time off for training. The survey also found that only 28% of employers automatically consulted their representatives on a frequent basis.

However despite the problems that union health and safety representatives have they still make a massive difference. The real problem is in those workplaces that are not unionised. For several years the TUC has called on the government to give workers in non-unionised workplaces the right to safety representatives and safety committees, but even better than that would be for the government and employers organisations to encourage workers in these workplaces to join a union. Unfortunately, I doubt that is going to happen so instead we are going to have to do it ourselves by using reports like “The Union Effect” to show workers that, if they value their health and their safety they need to join a union!

So use this publication in your workplace, and with any organising and recruitment activity. It really says it all. The Union Effect can be read or downloaded at the TUC website, and also don’t forget the report on the union advantage in other areas that the TUC produced in 2009 “The Union Advantage”.

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Posted on July 13th, 2011 by Hugh Robertson filed under: Rights at work
StrongerUnions
The Union Advent: 3 Dec

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There are more than 150,000 union safety representatives in the UK, trained to internationally recognised standards.

These reps lower the accident rate by ensuring safe working practises, and reduce ill-health caused by the stress of working long hours, of being bullied, and of working in environments with poor lighting and ventilation.

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Posted on December 3rd, 2009 by StrongerUnions filed under: Union organising
Carl Roper
New Activist Academy course dates announced

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The TUC is pleased to announce the following new dates for Activist Academy courses;

LIVERPOOL at Wirral Met College

March 11 & 12, April 1 & 2, April 29 & 30

Contact Bob Kelly on 0151 237 2751 or at bob.kelly@wmc.ac.uk

BRIDGEND at Bridgend College

April 29 & 30, June 3 & 4, July 1 & 2

Contact Richard Young on 01656 302511 or at ryoung@bridgend.ac.uk

NEWCASTLE at Newcastle College

April 30 & May 1, May 21 & 22, July 9 & 10

Contact Tracey Errington on 0191 200 4823 or at tracey.errington@ncl-coll.ac.uk

GLASGOW at Stowe College

May 5 & 6, May 26 & 27, June 16 & 17

Contact Alan Richardson on 0141 564 7500 or at arichardson@stow.ac.uk

MANCHESTER at the Manchester College

May 13 & 14, June 17 & 18, July 15 & 16

Contact Kevin Duffy on 0161 279 7243 or at kduffy@themanchestercollege.ac.uk

PLYMOUTH at City College

May 14 & 15, May 28 & 29, July 2 & 3

Contact John Terry on 01752 305278 or at JTerry@cityplym.ac.uk

All Activist Academy courses last for 6-days and the training is linked to a workplace or branch based campaign. Participants can either bring an on-going campaign with them to the course, or develop one whilst they are on the training.

The TUC will provide mentoring support to participants but for reps directly nominated by unions it is helpful if the union also nominates an appropriate person (rep, officer or organiser) to act as a mentor and who can assist participants in putting the skills and techniques they will cover on the training into practice on the campaign.

If you are interested in attending a course or have any reps that your union would like to nominate to any of these courses, please contact the respective college contact above.

Additional info on the Activist Academy is available at www.tuc.org.uk/activistacademy or Carl Roper on 07717 531159 or at croper@tuc.org.uk

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Posted on February 19th, 2009 by Carl Roper filed under: Union news, Union organising, Union reps
Paul Nowak
The value of reps

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Ian Allinson of UNITE has dug out an interesting article here, reporting on Lib-Dem attempts to review facility time and facilities for union reps in Birmingham City Council.

Apparently some of the local councillors are unhappy that union facility time currently costs local taxpayers around £1.4m a year – which sounds a lot, but actually isn’t when you put it into any sort of perspective. Even a local Tory Councillor interviewed for the piece has to concede that less than 1% of the Council’s workforce are covered by these arrangements, and that some reps even (gasp, shock, horror) ‘do a good job’.

Few key points here.

First is that whatever the costs to the local council in supporting facilities and facility time its a fair bet that these are more than outweighed by the very real (and quantifable) benefits that union reps bring not just to their members, but to the employer as well. Figures in a recent BERR (Peter Mandelson’s new stomping ground) consultation document suggest that union reps are worth up to £10.2bn a year, in terms of increased productivity, to the UK economy as a whole. That’s BEFORE you add in other potential cost benefits such as reduced absenteeism and reduced workplace accidents and ill health.

Second key point I’d make is that its the law of the land for union reps to have access to reasonable paid time off to carry out their duties and train. So when Cllr Mullaney asks, ‘..should the council be paying their (union reps) wages?’, the answer is pretty much an unequivocal yes!

Last point is that underpinning these gripes seems to be a sense that local union reps are basically employed union officers who answer to no-one and do little work. While not every local rep or steward is perfect, the overwhelming majority are decent, hardworking people, elected and/or nominated by their fellow union members, to carry out an often difficult and stressful role. Many employers recognise this fact as well…I’m currently working with the CBI and BERR to develop a joint statement setting out the positive contribution of union reps in the workplace.

Cllr Mullaney’s calls for a review appear to be a simple case of union-bashing by the back door. Is this a widespread/growing trend across the public sector? Post any examples in the comments section.

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Posted on October 8th, 2008 by Paul Nowak filed under: Union reps