Union Rep less than helpful.
Discussion
B711 said:
The Union Rep isn't there just for you. He's representing the other workers should are pissing off by refusing to do your share.
Weird first post, guessing you are the union rep in question?OP - If it is occasional switches or extra hours here and there then it is pretty reasonable to expect you to help out (especially if others are), however if it is a week on week continual messing around then they they should have recruited with that in mind.
SOunds liek the Union subs are now an expense you would rather not shell out. Problem half solved. If you explain your feelings to the rest of the workforce, you could save them some money too. If you explain yourself well enough, you could start another Union, then you get free Central London pads, and cracking pensions on top 
It isn't the union reps position to tell you that you aren't helping out properly. If your managers have a problem with the hours you are working, or want you to make changes to the hours you are working, that is for them to discuss with you. You could then have the backing of the union if you needed it, to help with resolving any disputes.
As you say, the job you have been asked to do is to work a set of hours that suit both you and the business. If they didn't have a position of someone to only work afternoons/evenings, they wouldn't have offered it to anyone and I assume you'd have been given a contract which stated that you had to work a varied selection of shifts and hours etc. There are always people who are happy to work overtime, or accommodate regular changes to their work pattern, but that should not be something which goes against those who prefer to stick to the hours they've signed up for, there are reasons for both sides and in general, it works out just fine.
Anyway, the advice of "ignore her" is reasonably sensible if you are the type who can just get your head down and work happily. Hopefully your colleagues recognise this in you without the union woman's interference.
The danger, if there is any, will depend on how much control this union rep has managed to wield over others and how much they listen to her. If you are marked by her as a non-conformer to their self-invented "system" then will your demonstrable work ethic win out over snide comments and whispers behind your back about how "lazy" you are?
Example: At some point, you may need to take a day off work at short notice. However, you've used up all of your annual leave allowance for the year and are in a bit of a jam. Management need your hours to be covered, obviously, to keep the business flowing. Can you approach a colleague and say "hey, are you able to cover my shift on Thursday afternoon, and in return, I'll come in and cover your shift on Monday (or another mutually agreed date)" and work happily between the two of you, inform Management, they know that they have the necessary coverage.
However, does Union woman's interference mean that other people would say "no" to you making such a request? If so, and you've already tried having a word with her about the fact she's just spreading b
ks about you and making it worse, then maybe consider your area union rep? After all, you are paying the union subs in order to have representation and assistance if you need it, and they need to support you. The union should be in your corner if the Management made an unreasonable request to try and make you change your hours to something completely different, or if you get implicated in some wrongdoing and need someone to help guide you through the process, or if you want to fight for a better rate of pay. It seems very odd to me that the union are trying to make you work outside of your normal hours - seems to go against everything that a union would stand for?
As you say, the job you have been asked to do is to work a set of hours that suit both you and the business. If they didn't have a position of someone to only work afternoons/evenings, they wouldn't have offered it to anyone and I assume you'd have been given a contract which stated that you had to work a varied selection of shifts and hours etc. There are always people who are happy to work overtime, or accommodate regular changes to their work pattern, but that should not be something which goes against those who prefer to stick to the hours they've signed up for, there are reasons for both sides and in general, it works out just fine.
Anyway, the advice of "ignore her" is reasonably sensible if you are the type who can just get your head down and work happily. Hopefully your colleagues recognise this in you without the union woman's interference.
The danger, if there is any, will depend on how much control this union rep has managed to wield over others and how much they listen to her. If you are marked by her as a non-conformer to their self-invented "system" then will your demonstrable work ethic win out over snide comments and whispers behind your back about how "lazy" you are?
Example: At some point, you may need to take a day off work at short notice. However, you've used up all of your annual leave allowance for the year and are in a bit of a jam. Management need your hours to be covered, obviously, to keep the business flowing. Can you approach a colleague and say "hey, are you able to cover my shift on Thursday afternoon, and in return, I'll come in and cover your shift on Monday (or another mutually agreed date)" and work happily between the two of you, inform Management, they know that they have the necessary coverage.
However, does Union woman's interference mean that other people would say "no" to you making such a request? If so, and you've already tried having a word with her about the fact she's just spreading b
ks about you and making it worse, then maybe consider your area union rep? After all, you are paying the union subs in order to have representation and assistance if you need it, and they need to support you. The union should be in your corner if the Management made an unreasonable request to try and make you change your hours to something completely different, or if you get implicated in some wrongdoing and need someone to help guide you through the process, or if you want to fight for a better rate of pay. It seems very odd to me that the union are trying to make you work outside of your normal hours - seems to go against everything that a union would stand for?Thinking about this further, the manager must have approached the union rep and asked her to have a word with me, otherwise how would she have known the situation, I never broached it with her. Really not the sort of representation I'm looking for or indeed want to pay subs towards. I think I'll quietly drop my union membership.
B711 said:
Thinking about this further, the manager must have approached the union rep and asked her to have a word with me, otherwise how would she have known the situation, I never broached it with her. Really not the sort of representation I'm looking for or indeed want to pay subs towards. I think I'll quietly drop my union membership.
Quoted for troll.sc0tt said:
B711 said:
Thinking about this further, the manager must have approached the union rep and asked her to have a word with me, otherwise how would she have known the situation, I never broached it with her. Really not the sort of representation I'm looking for or indeed want to pay subs towards. I think I'll quietly drop my union membership.
Quoted for troll.
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