Advice Needed `reg, becoming a rep`

[La Poste]

Why do you want to become a rep?
What is your reason?
Why do you want to take on the extra responsibility?
Just curious.
Thanks.

[trythat]

Lots of the reasons you've mentioned are some of the same reseason I decided to become a sub rep, with our new rep. You don't get much thanks, but it is one way to try and find out what is happening, we find that we don't always get what we want, but it's probably more than 50% in our favour.

You'll be accused of being to friendly with the DOM, but TBH you've no option to talk quite a bit with your DOM and LM's if you want to get your ideas and find out what is happening.

It's also quite frustrating when you try and help the blokes, they'll agree with you and then do the complete oppisite, I've found it quite hard to deal with the people who walked walked over the line, sometimes I'll tell them to see the rep.

We've just been told that no more OT will be paid, of course that doesn't include the chosen few, but thats life, we're also in the middle of a CDV revision and just started a WalkSorter revision, and you really need to try and have someone that can grasp what the rules are and also listen to the planner and his ideas, and try and get the blokes on your side, I reckon our office is the most miserable I've seen it for a few years, but it looks as though most of the country is the same.

Give it a go, I find thebest info is on here, neither the rep or me has had any course's but we muddle through, and we've even had people joining the CWU, some of them were blokes who came in for the strikes, so I assume we must be doing something right.

If you want to influence what happens in the office, then being a Rep or Sub Rep is the best way to go about it, we also found it useful to have a committe as well.

Good luck to you.

[ass asin]

i would say go for it.if nething life at work will never be dull for u again lol. but i will say you have to put your personal feelings to one side with regards to the peeps in the doms top pocket etc and do what is right and do what is fair for the whole office, incl the non union members. (probably not a popular idea on here lol) as these are all potential members that havent been recruited yet and if u r able to recruit these people yourself the stronger your personal support will be and of course the more members you have the stronger your office.
hope my tuppence helps

[MinisterofCucumber]

There are two main qualities needed to be a successful unit rep, courage and communication skills.

You need courage because you will be the only representative of our tribe, real workers, facing the management tribe and the professional union rep tribe. You will need good communication skills both in comprehension and getting your message across. You will have to interpret agreements accurately and get your point across to our tribe as well as the others.

You have to understand that the elected rep of your workplace has very little power. The Area Rep deals with the formal disagreement process. Your task will be to make sure the AR represents the views of the members at your workplace. You will have to make sure that you put your members position to your AR in writing before he enters any negotiations.

Make sure that the election is fair. Your branch may not want you to win if they feel that you will not allow the AR to follow his agenda.

If you are up for the fight, I will help you all the way,

PM me.

[La Poste]

Your branch may not want you to win if they feel that you will not allow the AR to follow his agenda.

Interesting comment.
Could you explain more?
Thanks.

[MinisterofCucumber]

Our professional reps, that is Area, Territorial and National, are not on the shopfloor. Us unit reps feel at home in the workplace, the professional reps inhabit a different environment. They mainly deal with other professional reps and managers. The only workers they deal with are the Unit reps, and in meetings with management the Unit reps are outnumbered by the non workers.

The professional reps are meant to represent the views of their members, particularly on local issues. This does not always happen, especially when negotiations are conducted 'behind closed doors'.

My view is that there should be no negotiations 'behind closed doors' on local issues because a professional rep cannot represent their members' view on an issue they don't know about.

[Martin Walsh]

Minster the local rep is always involved in talks involving his or her office be that at stage 1 , stage 2or at Stage 3. Plus any agreement has to be ratified by the local office.

I know the framework is different in the part of Royal Mail you work in but you really should not give advice if you dont understand what happens in Royal Mail letters.

Most Branch`s assist any new unit reps with training, there are also residential training. It is not an easy job but a rewarding one. Most times it is differcult to keep everyone happy but if you are able to hold regular meetings with your members and you understand what they want then providng what they want is achieveable and within the terms of national agreements then your job is to be their mouth piece to both management and the area cwu.

Often you deal with 1st and 2nd stage warning , conduct code cases below dismissal, grievence and harrassment cases , request to change annual leave , request for special leave , over time issues , week resoucing issues and of course the local revison. You are not alone and at committee meetings you will meet other local reps from other offices and of course you will have support from your area rep and Branch secretary.

There are no professional reps , only reps who now reprsent a wider area and deal with a lot more offices. All of these have been local reps and know your situration and are there to help.

If your willing to do the job and are strong enough to take flax from your colleagues at some stage and you recieve it whether its because management are doing something they dont like or even that you have to tell them a few home truths then go for it. As helping your colleague is a rewarding thing.

[Big Daz]

If your willing to do the job and are strong enough to take flax from your colleagues at some stage and you recieve it whether its because management are doing something they dont like or even that you have to tell them a few home truths then go for it. As helping your colleague is a rewarding thing.

Almost every day that happens to me

[MinisterofCucumber]

Hello Dingo,

You are right, I can only go on what I've experienced and what I have read on here.

What I refer to as professional reps are officials on full time release and no longer on the shopfloor.

People change when they join different groups. When they feel at home in their new surroundings they start to dress like the others in that culture and begin to use the same sayings. The tie is a symbol of management and when the ordinary members see union reps dressed exactly the same as managers, they wonder where their allegiance lies. When they hear top ranking reps using phrases like 'going forward', they get more suspicious. When they attend meetings where these professional reps try to sell them the management's agenda, they lose faith.

The professional reps in Letters may well be different from those in other parts of RMG but there must be a reason why the union is losing members hand over fist.

At some point, union officials are going to have to stop blaming the ordinary members and acknowledge the real reasons for the crisis in membership.

[La Poste]

You are right, I can only go on what I've experienced and what I have read on here.
What I refer to as professional reps are officials on full time release and no longer on the shopfloor.

We have a "professional" area rep.
He is paid by Royal mail.
He is on a 6AM til 2PM duty.
He gets paid HGV driving money and night shift allowance.
He has a very cushy number and does not ever want to go back to driving big lorries on nights.
The last thing he wants to do is make waves.
However, we can all be too cynical.
Anyone could try to do his job and put themselves up for election if they felt they could do a better job than him.

[MinisterofCucumber]

However, we can all be too cynical.
Anyone could try to do his job and put themselves up for election if they felt they coud do a better job than him.

Sounds simple, but, in practise, unit reps tend to stay in position.

They don't go that easily.

Ousting an incumbent that the management and union are content with takes some serious politics.