Unions and Other Q's

[Ballistic Banana]

Does a company have a right to tell an employee that they dont recognise a Union.
When someone has been layed off/made redundent as job is no longer there. Legally how long does the company have to wait before opening that job back up.

Just to clear a few discussions going on in the BB hosehold so no guessing Hard facts only plz

BB

[LRdriver II]

Ryanair do this, dont recognise unions. They have told the pilots this and will fire anybody who joins one..

But this is changing, as the T&Cs are being whittled down to nowt and have become borderline unsafe, the pilots have joined into a force that should slowly turn the tide.

[2 Smokin Barrels]

If a person has been made redundant they (generally) have three months to file a complaint to a tribunal. After three months, therefore, the role could be recreated.

[pesty]

BB I cant answer your questions but whether or not they recognise unions does not stop anyone from belonging to one. They cannot stop you being a member by law.

Depending on the situation it may be a good idea to join a union anyway because they will help you with any legal case. whether the company likes it or not.

As for the right to tell you. well I imagine it would come up if you went and asked teh personnel department.



>> Edited by pesty on Thursday 10th February 21:21

[2 Smokin Barrels]

pesty said:

Depending on the situation it may be a good idea to join a union anyway because they will help you with any legal case. whether the company likes it or not.

But, if you want to keep onside with your employer you might want to think hard about that. There's what's legal, and what's common sense.

[tvradict]

Unions are a load of bolloks.

In some cases they work, but in a lot of others they get involved in matters that aren't the company being arsey but are doing things that in the long run will safegaurd jobs. look at Ford closing the Jag plants. The Unions were involved to try and stop ford closing the plants. Fair Enough. One of fords reasons for closing the plants was an under-productive workforce

I heard a funny story about a Driver in the company i work for a few years back, he mangled one truck into the back of another, the last in a string of events. Called into Managers office, took Union Rep along. Manager said, Blah Crash, Blah Blah Blah Crash, Crash Crash, Mirror, Camera etc.. Your Sacked. He Turned to the Union Rep and said,

"What the **** are you doing here?" Union Rep Proudly pipes up 'I'm the Union Rep, I'm here to make sure he is treated fairly'
"Oh Really, Well in that case, your Fired too now **** Off!"

[stackmonkey]

2 Smokin Barrels said:

pesty said: Depending on the situation it may be a good idea to join a union anyway because they will help you with any legal case. whether the company likes it or not. But, if you want to keep onside with your employer you might want to think hard about that. There's what's legal, and what's common sense.

There's no need to tell your employer as soon as you join. But it helps a lot if your employer, or someone within you company starts acting unreasonably and you are already in a union. Let them know then, and I've found that you get treated more reasonably on official matters.

[planetdave]

The place I work had an in house work force (12 years ago) that did all the various jobs as/when. It was unionised and well paid and morale was sky high.

Now the jobs are split between about 10 different companies each trying to undercut the others.

Which means that machinery is oft idle and all economy of scale is lost. Total expenditure is probably the same but the workforce is now nearing minimum wage and the sickness levels are through the roof.

Which is better?

The anecdote about the union rep being fired is why unions are still needed in some sectors - management is oft heavy handed and arbitrary...we deserve better.

[Leadfoot]

Unions:
You are free to join a union, your employer cannot victimise you for this - but they do not have to recognise the union unless.....
If 50% or more of the workforce are union (the same union) members & they request that the company recognise said union, the company cannot refuse this.

Redundancy:
The employer can reinstate the position >6 months after making sombody redundant from it.

That's AFAIK, if you need the diffinitive legal position 'cos you're in a spot of bother get proffesional advise quick (usually free as part of union membership BTW).

[MoJocvh]

Used to think unions were all a load of nonsense. That was until I got a job at a electronics repair company (no unions). Well that place was a sweatshop with UNSAFE working practices and a level of middle management workforce intimidation that I had never experienced before.
Needless to say after my personal circumstances changed for better I left post haste. If any place was crying out for union protection of the workforce this was it and I have to say that for this purpose I fully support them. However sometimes, even today, the unions can be out of touch with commercial reality.

cheers

Mojo.

[birdbrain]

I have just joined the Union because my company has a history of not sacking people but instead making their working lives so unbearable that they resign. I have also been discriminated against and put in a position where I had to withdraw an application for a promotion because of things that were said about me to the manager of the department I was applying to. My application was supposed to be confidential but was openly discussed and slagged off by management. I joined the Union so I could have some protection if they decide to try and force me out.

[lanciachris]

On the redundancy thing, I guess a former colleague could have made a stink about this. He was employed to investigate new technologies, and create design patterns and stuff for other people to use. He was however, useless and was made redundant as a nicety because hed been working for the company for 4 years,

At the same time the company was moving into a new sector which actually increased the need for those sort of skills. If it was my company I would just have fired him for incompetence rather than run the risk of him coming back saying that his job role still exists.

[Eric Mc]

Ryanair is an Irish company, so would operate under Irish Union regulations - I guess.

Unions have their place - but since the 1980s they've found it harder to make a mark. No doubt, the fact that they had degnerated into virtual communist enclaves by the 1970s did them no favours.