IMPORTANT:Time to fight and not give in

[DGP1]

you could always become the rep yourself and then you wouldnt have to suffer self serving individuals.

I'm 63 and too old now - what is needed is a concerted effort to get younger members interested in representing the membership.

Youre never to old mate remember youngsters will look up to and learn from our older members,you may still have alot to offer my friend.

That's what I told him last night and all I can say is his 'older member' is a firm upstanding thing

[dvbuk55]

you could always become the rep yourself and then you wouldnt have to suffer self serving individuals.

I'm 63 and too old now - what is needed is a concerted effort to get younger members interested in representing the membership.

Youre never to old mate remember youngsters will look up to and learn from our older members,you may still have alot to offer my friend.

I'm still passionate about fairness and justice but there isn't the support from the membership there was and really that is a lack of organisation. Because the contracts and the expectations of individual members are different then the appeal to each individual should be tailored. For example, part time members should have meetings to highlight the problems they face by being forced to commit to overtime they may not want to do - this gets very little sympathy from full time staff who already work those hours. Of course it would be helpful if any meetings at all were held, I'm afraid the situation now is the the management go direct to the shop floor and miss out the union rep and that shows two things, weak representation and a total disregard for any agreements.

[k979aaa]

you could always become the rep yourself and then you wouldnt have to suffer self serving individuals.

I'm 63 and too old now - what is needed is a concerted effort to get younger members interested in representing the membership.

Youre never to old mate remember youngsters will look up to and learn from our older members,you may still have alot to offer my friend.

I'm still passionate about fairness and justice but there isn't the support from the membership there was and really that is a lack of organisation. Because the contracts and the expectations of individual members are different then the appeal to each individual should be tailored. For example, part time members should have meetings to highlight the problems they face by being forced to commit to overtime they may not want to do - this gets very little sympathy from full time staff who already work those hours. Of course it would be helpful if any meetings at all were held, I'm afraid the situation now is the the management go direct to the shop floor and miss out the union rep and that shows two things, weak representation and a total disregard for any agreements.

The thing is dvbuk55 is why did we all let partime become the norm we all should have fought tooth and nail i am as guilty as you in this as well as all the rest!.

[dvbuk55]

you could always become the rep yourself and then you wouldnt have to suffer self serving individuals.

I'm 63 and too old now - what is needed is a concerted effort to get younger members interested in representing the membership.

Youre never to old mate remember youngsters will look up to and learn from our older members,you may still have alot to offer my friend.

I'm still passionate about fairness and justice but there isn't the support from the membership there was and really that is a lack of organisation. Because the contracts and the expectations of individual members are different then the appeal to each individual should be tailored. For example, part time members should have meetings to highlight the problems they face by being forced to commit to overtime they may not want to do - this gets very little sympathy from full time staff who already work those hours. Of course it would be helpful if any meetings at all were held, I'm afraid the situation now is the the management go direct to the shop floor and miss out the union rep and that shows two things, weak representation and a total disregard for any agreements.

The thing is dvbuk55 is why did we all let partime become the norm we all should have fought tooth and nail i am as guilty as you in this as well as all the rest!.

We didn't "allow" it because it was part and parcel of the 50/50 agreement and so was a national protocol - just another duplicitous act of RM to hook the leadership into thinking we were actual gaining something when in fact it was a sham to encourage part time working and boy has it worked - our office is something like 2 to 1 now on 150+ staff and getting worse.

[weetrogg]

Although i agree with most of the sentiments expressed in this thred, their is one thing i cannot agree with and that is blaming the membership!! .How did we go from having a rock solid strike to signing a p**s poor agreement, it wasn't the members who caved in

I am a rep at an office which is facing closure soon, we asked for a ballot and got one, and thankfully with a lot of hard work by all the reps and others we secured a 77% yes vote, how did headquarters support this vote, they cancelled the strike at the 11th hour.Great, an agreement has been reached surely? No, nothing had changed. HQ had called it off, without consulting with the branches and without explaining to members until 3 weeks later why it was cancelled. The end result was nothing had changed and since then RM have carried on exactly how they did before we balloted.( similar to pay and mod)

We managed to get a reasonably yes vote despite RM offering a massive number of VRs,using propaganda and generally treating us poorly. The end result is HQ caved in, RM carrying on with their plans and us, the members, left right in s**t street
Just after the national dispute was sold out by HQ we had a bout of unofficial action at our MC, how did the nearest MC show its support for us, they took our second class mech So please dont blame the members

P.S. The office closure is still going ahead and even now HQ are about as much use as a chocolate fireguard

[numan]

I totally agree with Weetrogg. I used to always believe that a union is only as strong as its rank and file members but not any longer, after having 17 years experience of the CWU. For a small office we used to be quite strong in defending our corner but we were all dismayed and disgusted with the leadership's pitiful acceptance of the last agreement, it wasn't the first time our office has been shafted by them. The whole organisation (if you can call it that) of the last I.A. was a pathetic shambles from start to finish. The leadership wanting to use members' donations to fund Alan Johnson also went down an absolute storm.

Everybody here has become totally disillusioned in the CWU, as somebody who has always been pro union it is hard to restore that faith, especially as deep down I believe we will ultimately be sold down the river again by the current set up.

[stokes11eg]

I totally agree with Weetrogg. I used to always believe that a union is only as strong as its rank and file members but not any longer, after having 17 years experience of the CWU. For a small office we used to be quite strong in defending our corner but we were all dismayed and disgusted with the leadership's pitiful acceptance of the last agreement, it wasn't the first time our office has been shafted by them. The whole organisation (if you can call it that) of the last I.A. was a pathetic shambles from start to finish. The leadership wanting to use members' donations to fund Alan Johnson also went down an absolute storm.

Everybody here has become totally disillusioned in the CWU, as somebody who has always been pro union it is hard to restore that faith, especially as deep down I believe we will ultimately be sold down the river again by the current set up.

Hear, Hear--they only seem to be taking retrospective action because the rank and file have taken the first
step-they are following our lead now, should be the other ay around!

[Big Daz]

Weetrog, you forget that the members voted the aggement in and the turnout was dismal and less than the turnout for the IA ballot.

Did more people vote for IA than for the agrement that followed? That is where the problem lays.

Time and time again the no vote for national aggrements is a minority of the total ballot papers despatched and even the yes vote can be in the minority simply due to members inability to put a X on a bit of paper put in a pre paid envelope and post it!!!!

[numan]

Yes the members voted the agreement in, not in our office I might add, but they were advised to do so by the leadership and the PEC. Many members are new recruits on part time contracts, how were they and everybody else supposed to have any confidence in placing a NO vote when the CWU top brass after months of ineptitude were telling them that was the best they were going to get? The more naive members were also misled into believing that the pension issue had been separated from the deal, when that obviously wasn't the case.

[dvbuk55]

Yes the members voted the agreement in, not in our office I might add, but they were advised to do so by the leadership and the PEC. Many members are new recruits on part time contracts, how were they and everybody else supposed to have any confidence in placing a NO vote when the CWU top brass after months of ineptitude were telling them that was the best they were going to get? The more naive members were also misled into believing that the pension issue had been separated from the deal, when that obviously wasn't the case.

Strange how those union oriented members conveniently forget that the leadership and the pec recommended a yes vote and then blame the membership for not voting on an issue that was already a done deal - just like the pension, which as you may have noticed has never been mentioned since the great statement "we have managed to decouple the pension from the vote - you don't need three guesses as to why that was because getting a yes vote to the mod agreement with that in tow was impossible - RMs work was done for them.

[Big Daz]

Im referring to to SDD and Way Forward as well. SDD was the first aggrement I dealt with during my time as a local rep.

Way Forward if I recall got voted out first time so the membership have proven themselves capable of saying no.

There is too much apathy at the moment in ballots for national aggrements.

Perhaps we need to change the system so that unless 51% of the total number of ballot papers despacted are a yes vote then the deal is rejected.

[numan]

Im referring to to SDD and Way Forward as well. SDD was the first aggrement I dealt with during my time as a local rep.

Way Forward if I recall got voted out first time so the membership have proven themselves capable of saying no.

There is too much apathy at the moment in ballots for national aggrements.

Perhaps we need to change the system so that unless 51% of the total number of ballot papers despacted are a yes vote then the deal is rejected.

Or maybe we should change the leadership of our union and some members of the PEC who are either incapable or unwilling to represent the opinions of the membership, which is what they get paid to do. Instead all we've got is people who talk a good fight.

[Big Daz]

Well we 13 votes in the PEC election and 17 canidates.

Nows you chance and if you dont like the look of any of the canidates then ask youself why those who might think like you are not standing?

I think its time for some RMC bods that express deep unhappiness with the PEC on a regular basis to stand.

It really is time for some people to stop making excuses and get involved with the CWU.

[dvbuk55]

Well we 13 votes in the PEC election and 17 canidates.

Nows you chance and if you dont like the look of any of the canidates then ask youself why those who might think like you are not standing?

I think its time for some RMC bods that express deep unhappiness with the PEC on a regular basis to stand.

It really is time for some people to stop making excuses and get involved with the CWU.

That does seem a small margin for error doesn't - 13 to be elected 17 to choose from and look at the areas.

[cedric]

you could always become the rep yourself and then you wouldnt have to suffer self serving individuals.

I'm 63 and too old now - what is needed is a concerted effort to get younger members interested in representing the membership.

Youre never to old mate remember youngsters will look up to and learn from our older members,you may still have alot to offer my friend.

I'm still passionate about fairness and justice but there isn't the support from the membership there was and really that is a lack of organisation. Because the contracts and the expectations of individual members are different then the appeal to each individual should be tailored. For example, part time members should have meetings to highlight the problems they face by being forced to commit to overtime they may not want to do - this gets very little sympathy from full time staff who already work those hours. Of course it would be helpful if any meetings at all were held, I'm afraid the situation now is the the management go direct to the shop floor and miss out the union rep and that shows two things, weak representation and a total disregard for any agreements.

i'd like to visit dvb office if he thinks holding meetings will ensure a turnout. in my experience most members talk a good fight but when asked to attend a meeting they are too busy walkin their dogs or goin to tesco. i have held meetins at my office in the canteen and hardly any have turned up, even walkin out the building whilst the stalwarts have been haranguing them to attend. the biggest unit in our area has over 200 members but is often not even quorate at meetings.