New starters and the CWU

[Kenfandango]

I was going through the payrise thread and I was wondering...
How many people who started within the last couple of years actually joined the CWU?

I don't know any who did, and the reasons are mostly the same.
Firstly, the offer to join comes after being told you're earning (I think) £10.85 an hour for a 25-30 hour week. Very few other places pay weekly, so you're thinking "well that's £40+ gone in a month before I even get paid."

Secondly, hired on a 6 month contract. Why would you pay £320+ in that time to protect your rights, when you're only going to be there for 6 months? Most normal companies would describe it as a trial period, rather than wording everything to make it look as if they're definitely only hiring you for 6 months. The fact that they drag their heels over contracts after it runs out also adds unnecessary stress, and prevents people from wanting to join as the job could be taken away tomorrow.

And then finally, after you're used to the fact that they not only pay more than advertised, but you sometimes have to actively refuse to do extra hours because the managers know you need to top up to full wage and pile all the unwanted stuff on you... Well by then you've seen how it runs. Seen managers picking on people and cowering before others, seen older posties describing how many additional "minor" tasks have been added, and seen the fact that negative changes get made regularly (the revision being the most egregious, but the will they/ won't they Christmas vans and agency staff is up there too) without any visible involvement of the union.

Is it conspiratorial to think that hobbling the union is the reason for new starters getting a crap deal? Hoping that if a strike occurs, there will be enough out-of-contract workers with no ties to the union able to cross the picket lines and take out those all important tracked...

[fb1969]

What figures are you quoting for how much it will cost you?

I am on a 30 hours contract and pay £2.40 a week for the CWU on the "opt out" rate. The amount you pay is based on your contracted hours and doesn't change if you do overtime.

Based on a four week month that is £9.60 a month (less than one hour's pay) and for six months, 26 weeks, it is £62.40 (just over one day's pay).

I'm not commenting on whether it is worth joining and/or expensive, but your figures for how much it costs are way out.

[gimba]

£40 a month lol?? Someone's pulling you're tally Wacker, £40 would be about 3/4 of the years worth

[Cucumber]

What figures are you quoting for how much it will cost you?

I am on a 30 hours contract and pay £2.40 a week for the CWU on the "opt out" rate. The amount you pay is based on your contracted hours and doesn't change if you do overtime.

Based on a four week month that is £9.60 a month (less than one hour's pay) and for six months, 26 weeks, it is £62.40 (just over one day's pay).

I'm not commenting on whether it is worth joining and/or expensive, but your figures for how much it costs are way out.

Is that the rate where no money goes to Labour?

[world class male]

Hoping that if a strike occurs, there will be enough out-of-contract workers with no ties to the union able to cross the picket lines and take out those all important tracked...

please lord no, in a union or not, please don't say you'd ever even think to cross any picket line
i won't cross one if attempting to deliver mail to a factory, nor will your dom expect you to cross it either

really hope this is a wind up post

[Kenfandango]

In the induction we were told it's a tenner a week. Presumably that was an error then!

[fb1969]

Is that the rate where no money goes to Labour?

Yes - it's the rate where no money goes to the political fund. According to this the "opt in" rate is 20p per week more https://www.cwu.org/about-the-cwu/cwu-i ... ical-fund/

[fb1969]

In the induction we were told it's a tenner a week. Presumably that was an error then!

A tenner a month would be nearer the mark.

[twoloops]

I’ve always been a big union man from back in the Thatcher days, but I do resent every penny I pay to the CWU, waste of f’in space.

[yubin282]

£3.60 per week for a full-timer

[yubin282]

£3.60 per week for a full-timer or a 0.7% pay rise if you choose not join.

[aiden01]

In the induction we were told it's a tenner a week. Presumably that was an error then!

Did you never think to ask a fellow postperson what they pay in union dues or maybe you have no interest in joining a union.

[HTPostman]

Hoping that if a strike occurs, there will be enough out-of-contract workers with no ties to the union able to cross the picket lines and take out those all important tracked...

please lord no, in a union or not, please don't say you'd ever even think to cross any picket line
i won't cross one if attempting to deliver mail to a factory, nor will your dom expect you to cross it either

really hope this is a wind up post

Reread their post. They are not saying that’s what they would do, they are suggesting that’s the hope of the business.

[blacov]

Hoping that if a strike occurs, there will be enough out-of-contract workers with no ties to the union able to cross the picket lines and take out those all important tracked...

please lord no, in a union or not, please don't say you'd ever even think to cross any picket line
i won't cross one if attempting to deliver mail to a factory, nor will your dom expect you to cross it either

really hope this is a wind up post

Reread their post. They are not saying that’s what they would do, they are suggesting that’s the hope of the business.

Personally speaking I was reluctant to join at first but my eyes were opened very quickly after I joined. I thought these guys can bend the rules as they please so I need someone behind my back otherwise I'll be a powerless walk over.

[Seymour Buts]

My understanding was the union rep should introduce themselves to any new start, answer questions and encourage them to join. That was always what I thought anyway, but it has never happened in our office. To be quite honest I have no idea who the rep actually is in our office; I think it's shared between two after the last one resigned.

There are so many temps, casuals and younger people that are just doing this job to fill a few months in the summer that they're unlikely to join the union anyway. If you have no intention of staying, are you really gonna be arsed what the company intend to do going forward?