Going on a union branch committee
Jun 28 2007
I'm a shop steward with Unison, and have been asked if I want to sit on the branch committee.
I don't support unions as such, but I'm quite new to actually organising with them. At the moment it's hard to get a picture of how they work, how decisions are made and at what levels various decisions are made, so I'm thinking it's probably worthwhile doing as a learning experience.
What do other people think, other people who have been on branch committees etc.? I don't think it'll put me in any sort of compromising position... if it does I'll quit it, but I'm not sure what power is there really.
Thoughts?
Jun 28 2007
#2
Yeah. It would be awful to bring your politics into the union. Much better to let old dodgy trots make all the decisions for you. 
Jun 28 2007
#3
thugarchist wrote:
Yeah. It would be awful to bring your politics into the union. Much better to let old dodgy trots make all the decisions for you.
I'm so glad you posted this, because it was exactly what catch said.
Jun 28 2007
#4
Anyway, I can't see how it could hurt to be on the committee. At the very least, you'll know what the union are up to and you might be able to argue down some shit decisions.
Though I'm not too knowledgable about exactly how unions work internally, so I could be talking bollocks. I've never been to a branch meeting never mind sat on a committee.
Jun 28 2007
#5
catch wrote:
I also have no experience with branch committees. Is your workplace big enough that it's an entire branch to itself? Or does it cover different employers? AFAIK a lot branches just make stupid decisions to send money to dodgy trot campaigns because they're full of old trots, that sounds like it'd be both shit and annoying.
No it's just the one workplace, we're 10,000 staff.
Apparently the branch committee is the supreme decision making for the branch, and it makes the (mostly irrelevant I bet) political decisions. I mean I guess it won't have much say over stuff like national strikes, but I guess the proposed industrial action we had over cuts recently (which never materialised... despite votes for it) it would've had control over. I would like to find out what happened to that action... the whole anti-cuts campaign seemed to disappear without a trace.
Jun 28 2007
#6
I'd check how often it meets, and at least try to visit a meeting as an observer to see whether you'll get good information out of it before you decide.
Jun 28 2007
#7
I spent 6 years on a branch committee in the old Civil & Public Services Association (CPSA), now part of PCS. This is the fruits of my reflection on the experience. 
Jun 28 2007
#8
Ah there it is, I was looking for that for organise. i'll stick it in.
Jun 28 2007
#9
And there was me thinking you hadn't put it up because you'd all gone left communist on me.
Not that it stopped the IWW putting it in Bread & Roses without so much as a mention of either libcom or myself.
Jun 29 2007
#10
the button wrote:
And there was me thinking you hadn't put it up because you'd all gone left communist on me.Not that it stopped the IWW putting it in Bread & Roses without so much as a mention of either libcom or myself.
everyone complains but never bothers to contact the editors.
Jun 29 2007
#11
So what is this 'branch committee' is that the same as the local? What is the unions presence on the shop floor?
Jun 29 2007
#12
EdmontonWobbly wrote:
So what is this 'branch committee' is that the same as the local?
I'd guess the branch is the same as the local, and the committee maybe some decision-making body for the local, perhaps?
Quote:
What is the unions presence on the shop floor?
Unison's probably 33-50% of staff I think, there are some GMB people (don't know how many but in my dept it's about 6%), and a fair few staff are temps or part time/short term contracts.
Jun 29 2007
#13
Quote:
everyone complains but never bothers to contact the editors.
In fact I did complain by e-mail to the main contact address for the BIROC, and got a holding response saying that my concerns would be passed on to the editors. Since then, nothing.
So fuck off. 
Jun 29 2007
#14
button i think you're the exception to the rule
...which can have meaning on so many levels
Jun 29 2007
#15
I spent several years on the NALGO (as was) branch committee as one of the representatives for our libraries dept. (nb I was elected not asked to join.)
Treat it as a learning experience and for informal networking.
Don't expect everyone to be interested in your politics though.
You should also be able to get training for H&S and as a union rep. again use them as a learning experience and for networking.
You can always resign after a year if you find it too boring or compromising.
(or you can work yourself into a position where you can help produce the branch newsletter. can be fun.)
Jun 29 2007
#16
MalFunction wrote:
I spent several years on the NALGO (as was) branch committee as one of the representatives for our libraries dept. (nb I was elected not asked to join.)
Yeah i was elected as a steward. If there was a full compliment of stewards then there would be elections for the committee but there isn't, so there are spaces.
Quote:
Treat it as a learning experience and for informal networking.Don't expect everyone to be interested in your politics though.
Yeah I won't, they're mostly trots as far as I can tell.
Quote:
You should also be able to get training for H&S and as a union rep. again use them as a learning experience and for networking.
I'm getting rep training anyway, don't think i can be bothered with H&S, I've had basic training in that already, and the H&S rep training seems a bit too full on (2 or 3 1-day a week, 10 week courses!)
Quote:
You can always resign after a year if you find it too boring or compromising.
Yeah that's what I figured. Cheers all
Jun 29 2007
#17
I'd do the H&S training, if I were you. Not only is H&S important in itself, a working knowledge of H&S regs can help you become a proper thorn in the bosses' side. As workplace legislation goes, the H&SAW act is quite a powerful piece of kit -- albeit woefully underenforced. (Not least because of the lack of trained workplace safety reps ).
Jun 29 2007
#18
Yeah thorough H&S training sounds worth it - for one, so many things come under it (temperature, furniture etc. etc.).
Jul 1 2007
#19
H&S training is brilliant, from a day seminar I had enough to wind up my boss. And you can make stuff up because they usually don't know it and if they ask personnel they are definitely too lazy to know what's going on.
Plus going on courses, especially when they provide lunch, is better than working.
If the branch committee things turns out to be shit it still gives you an opportunity to skive and you can probaly get your hands on photocopying budgets and the like
I also have no experience with branch committees. Is your workplace big enough that it's an entire branch to itself? Or does it cover different employers? AFAIK a lot branches just make stupid decisions to send money to dodgy trot campaigns because they're full of old trots, that sounds like it'd be both shit and annoying.