Union membership for retired members

[stephen500]

I was a member of the UPW/CWU for 44 years and left in Nov of 2020, some say I resigned, I say I retired.
After my last wage slip my CWU subs lasped.
Now I know I am an adult and I am perfectly capable of rejoining the CWU as a retired member and may well do so.
But I think your union should be more switched on when members like me, leave, for what ever reason.
After 44 years of CWU subs, perhaps our head office could have a computer programme that picks up that my subs have ceased and a little letter could have been sent enquiring why?
Was it because the union did some thing wrong? Well no. But it might have been.
Why else was it and can you ring us and discuss your lasped membership.
Unions perhaps should be more pro active recruiting and retaining members.
I know the CWU is busy at the moment and under a lot of stress with pay/conditions and covid.
But the union is only as strong as it's base membership and simple communications could help retain a strong membership base.
Just some food for thought.

[yellowbelly]

Good point Stephen, why not address it directly to CWU HQ?

info@cwu.org or https://www.cwu.org/contact-us/

[k979aaa]

I was a member of the UPW/CWU for 44 years and left in Nov of 2020, some say I resigned, I say I retired.
After my last wage slip my CWU subs lasped.
Now I know I am an adult and I am perfectly capable of rejoining the CWU as a retired member and may well do so.
But I think your union should be more switched on when members like me, leave, for what ever reason.
After 44 years of CWU subs, perhaps our head office could have a computer programme that picks up that my subs have ceased and a little letter could have been sent enquiring why?
Was it because the union did some thing wrong? Well no. But it might have been.
Why else was it and can you ring us and discuss your lasped membership.
Unions perhaps should be more pro active recruiting and retaining members.
I know the CWU is busy at the moment and under a lot of stress with pay/conditions and covid.
But the union is only as strong as it's base membership and simple communications could help retain a strong membership base.
Just some food for thought.

A communications union that does not communicate and is not united just about sums up the CWU!

[baldrick]

RM payroll department automatically ceases CWU subscriptions at 60. CWU HQ will not know whether the person has actually left RM, or is continuing to work after 60. The CWU Branch Secretary gets a list of members whose subs have ceased every month, or they did when I was at RM.
The Branch Secretary should pass this information on to the Branch Organiser (though most probably do not) to amend Branch records and follow up with members whose subs have ceased. Sometimes members don't realise that their subs were ceased at 60 and rejoin when it is pointed out to them.

If a person is still working for RM after 60 they should still be paying full subs (or PT pro rata), if they have left RM they can join up as a Retired CWU member - which is what I did.