Non Union member

[minimumstandard]

We have a persone in our delivery office who seems to think that during the strikes we were stupid and tried to encourage people to break the strikes and work. He know is accusing the union as being crap because he has to do more. The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union any suggestions on how to deal with this individual :cfo

[hantsman]

We have a persone in our delivery office who seems to think that during the strikes we were stupid and tried to encourage people to break the strikes and work. He know is accusing the union as being crap because he has to do more. The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union any suggestions on how to deal with this individual :cfo

I can not understand this post really,


what are you trying to say?

[POSTMAN]

We have a persone in our delivery office who seems to think that during the strikes we were stupid and tried to encourage people to break the strikes and work. He know is accusing the union as being crap because he has to do more. The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union any suggestions on how to deal with this individual :cfo

Why are you listening/talking to this person in the 1st place?

[dongash]

We have a persone in our delivery office who seems to think that during the strikes we were stupid and tried to encourage people to break the strikes and work. He know is accusing the union as being crap because he has to do more. The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union any suggestions on how to deal with this individual :cfo

I'M AFRAID YOUR OFFICE IS NOT ON IT'S OWN. OUR OFFICE HAS PEOPLE ( WHO WERE NOT ON PICKET LINES) WHO ACCUSE THE UNION OF DOING F##K A## FOR US !!! THESE SAME PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WHO COME IN BEFORE THEIR START TIME, USE THEIR CARS, DO THEIR LAPSING FREE OF CHARGE IN THEIR OWN CARS ON THEIR WAY HOME. ONE OF THESE W####RS PASSES ME REGULARLY ANYTHING UP TO AN HOUR BEFORE HE IS DUE TO FINISH, EVEN ON A HEAVY DAY.

[BELIAL]

any suggestions on how to deal with this individual

Treat him with the contempt he deserves .
Just laugh at him.
You know he is an idiot, the rest of us can see from your description that he is an idiot, there is only one person in the dark here, and he is an idiot

[MinisterofCucumber]

We have a number of members who always break strikes and are constantly spreading management propaganda.

Even yesterday, I was cornered by my assistant rep and a manager who had a go at me for 5 minutes for helping a genuinely aggrieved member put in a grievance. They were trying to persuade me that a union rep should refuse to help a member put in a grievance if the rep believed the member was in the wrong. Incidently, I did not think the member's argument was wrong in this case, but even if I did, I am obliged by union principles to help my member. The criteria for using the grievance procedure is that the injured party has to feel genuinely aggrieved. This was obviously the case and the use of this procedure actually calmed things down. The member and his line manager were having a stand up row on the floor and I managed to ease the situation by asking them to stop arguing as they would get their chance to put their arguments in writing as the member had already told me of his intention to put in a grievance. I don't believe that a rep has the right to tell members not to put in a grievance. A rep can give them an opinion of what the outcome might be but if asked for assistance, a rep must give it. So long as a rep puts in their best efforts for a member, the member is very unlikely to blame the union if they lose but have seen that the process has been fair. It's no wonder we are losing so many members if reps are refusing to help them.


To return to the question of how to deal with members that are on the management's side. The collaborators benefit from favouritism. Try to cut their unfair advantages. It is important to counteract management propaganda because it does have an effect. A reasoned argument is better than just laughing it off.

[ronpetetrevchris]

I get it all the time at our D.O, everything that happens is the unions fault.

The fact that such a small percentage actually do what the union advises, as in car and time etc is completely over their head. There is one guy who is an ex rep, he hates me, and regularly stirres s**t up for me, saying how bad i and the union are, yet he comes in over an hour early

In fact i was seen as a real joker and not fit for the role and many voiced that to me, its very satisfying how many have come up to me to say they were wrong.

[MinisterofCucumber]

In fact i was seen as a real joker and not fit for the role and many voiced that to me, its very satisfying how many have come up to me to say they were wrong.

I got that treatment as well, it must be in the management's Manual of Besmirchment.

Did you also get accused of not being able to keep things confidential?
I did. There is absolutely no evidence to back this assertion up but this did not stop them from spreading this crap. However, after I discovered that a lot of us should have got pay protection and kicked some arse to get our money back, the members stopped believing the lies. Our HYS survey must have been the worst in RMG but our management show no sign of changing their bullying and favouritising culture.

What is your support like from your AR, TR and branch?

[andy2007]

We have a persone in our delivery office who seems to think that during the strikes we were stupid and tried to encourage people to break the strikes and work. He know is accusing the union as being crap because he has to do more. The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union any suggestions on how to deal with this individual :cfo

I can not understand this post really,


what are you trying to say?

It's not difficult really: There's someone in Minimumstandard's DO, who tied to encourage people to break the last lot of Strikes. And now, is accusing the Union of being crap, because he has to do more. There's also others with a similar mindset there.

Minimumstandard needs advice on how to deal with people like that.

What was so difficult to understand?

To answer Minimumsandard's question: I agree with MinisterofCucumber. The best way to deal with peope like that, is with a reasoned argument, against their misguided views. Ignoring them, or taking the p**s out of them, achieves nothing. And could potentially land you with an accusation of B&H! Why give them the ammnition?

[Geezer]

any suggestions on how to deal with this individual

Treat him with the contempt he deserves .
Just laugh at him.
You know he is an idiot, the rest of us can see from your description that he is an idiot, there is only one person in the dark here, and he is an idiot

[fishtank]

Right now the difficult second album...any idea how to deal with the rest......

The mindset in our office is me me me and expect the union to save them but wont support the union

...and his office isn't unique....and that mindset is growing.

[MinisterofCucumber]

The anti-union mindset is often fostered by ideas originating from some 'rogue' managers and spread by their favourites.

You need to counter these ideas by reasoned argument and you need to communicate these arguments to your members. I use bulletins. Here is an example from one of them:

"Annual leave / sick red herring Some non CWU members have been spreading the argument that it is unfair for people to do overtime if they have been sick or on annual leave in the preceding week. The aggregate system means that this is irrelevant because everyone gets their fair share in the end. If someone doesn't get overtime one week, the system gives them preference over others who have done more overtime the next time there is a call for volunteers."

The other thing you need to do is to clamp down on favouritism.

[POSTMAN]

Annual leave is different,but in letters you can't come back on docket if you have been sick.

[Harry_Perkins]

The fact that such a small percentage actually do what the union advises, as in car and time etc is completely over their head.

Exactly. People need to be woken from this thinking. This idea that other people can do it for you. The union is only as strong as its membership.

[fishtank]

The fact that such a small percentage actually do what the union advises, as in car and time etc is completely over their head.

Exactly. People need to be woken from this thinking. This idea that other people can do it for you. The union is only as strong as its membership.

So....we all agree that people/members need to be woken from this apathetic slumber.....fine.
...but i don't hear many answers...and to be honest i don't see much interest in tackling that particular problem from those who are paid to organise.
Blaming the members is fine and maybe to a certain extent justified but it is not a solution.