No-one is forced to be in a union.
No employer would ever willingly require employees join a union. Your post is very one-eyed and/or fanciful.A number of employers have made it a condition of employment that employees become Union members and remain so for the term of their employment.
It is felt that such a condition of employment may be unconstitutional but this has never been tested - the inference being that this system suits both employers & employees.
No employer would ever willingly require employees join a union. Your post is very one-eyed and/or fanciful.
Is there a sponge in your workplace?
Over the years Union members have campaigned to improve your terms and conditions and give you a say in your workplace. But some people benefit without playing their part. By not joining a union, people are taking advantage of your contributions and weakening your bargaining power. So, if there's a sponge in your workplace give them a union application form!
A closed shop exists where it is effectively a condition of employment that the worker should be a member of a specified trade union .
Closed shops may operate at a formal or informal level; informal in the sense that there may be no written agreement with management , but an understanding exists that employees will be union members.
Two types of closed shop exist: pre-entry and post-entry.
In the first form, workers must be members of the union before they can take up employment, and in the second, workers must join the union within a certain time after commencing employment. The pre-entry closed shop is most commonly associated with small craft unions, and particularly with journalism and acting, where the union through its role in granting or not granting membership can actually control entry to the profession and thus limit the numbers entering.
Post-entry closed shops are more common in other types of employment.
The extent of the closed shop in Ireland is unknown, although it is believed to be fairly widespread.
The legal status of closed shops in Ireland is unclear. Closed shops have not been regulated by legislation, but there have been a number of cases brought under the Constitution of Ireland under the Article relating to freedom of association. It appears that the post-entry closed shop, where not applied to existing employees, does not infringe constitutional guarantees.
Case law does, however, indicate that there is a "right" or "freedom" to dissociate and that this renders unconstitutional the pre-entry closed shop and any form of post-entry closed shop applied to existing employees.
In my role as a Union Rep the most frustrating part of the job was dealing with queries from non union colleagues - along the lines of " what's the union doing about this " , " when can we expect the next pay rise ".
Are there any current examples of this?A number of employers have made it a condition of employment that employees become Union members and remain so for the term of their employment.
My friend in Dublin Bus informed me being a member of a union was mandatory so it seems there are some employers.
Well some unions have a remarkable view on people with no interest in joining unions, this is the text of a full page ad in one of the Irish union magazines illustrated by a picture of a sponge.
So some colleagues need to insultingly labeled - sponges. They also need to be identified (where's data protection when you need it?), and persuaded to join.
To people who can see the subtext or undertone here, this a useful insight. And again this is what they're prepared to publish publicly.
[broken link removed] (page 42)
The "us v them" mentality is what unions thrive on, any opportunity to find "them" is never passed up. Be it the private sector, the management, the government, or even their own workmates.
There are situations where unions have bullied organisations into enforced union recognition and there are others, like Dublin Bus, where the unions and the organisation are the same thing.My friend in Dublin Bus informed me being a member of a union was mandatory so it seems there are some employers.
Yes.
What the CWU guys were proposing goes considerably beyond third party name calling on discussion forums, it's labeling and encouraging the singling out individuals in the real world - what some on the receiving end might see it as bullying.There is absolutely nothing wrong with proactive recruitment by union members, though the insulting language is certainly inappropriate. Still, it seems to be generally acceptable to refer to union officials as 'beards' here on AAM, so maybe what's good for the goose?
The main theatres won't allow non union actors perform.Says who? I've engaged actors in Ireland for corporate video work, and there was certainly no obligation for them to be union members.
Source please? And how significant are 'the main theatres' for actors today, given the amount of work that goes on for TV and in regional arts centres etc?The main theatres won't allow non union actors perform.
Some on the receiving end of the repeated 'beards' and 'bearded brethren' might see that as bullying too.What the CWU guys were proposing goes considerably beyond third party name calling on discussion forums, it's labeling and encouraging the singling out individuals in the real world - what some on the receiving end might see it as bullying.
The system is designed so that union members, who pay for a support service from their union, get that service. It's not really that difficult.Also the reason non-union staff often end up needing to ask unions to help with problems is because within some dysfunctional organizations the unions have somehow ended up in control of what in normal companies are HR roles.
Even on this site you'll see advice to public sector staff with issues on something like pensions being told to ask their union rep. I'm pretty sure I've even heard of public sector staff being redirected by HR staff to union reps.
No wonder union reps can start sighing about how well now you need us - when the system is designed that way.
Some on the receiving end of the repeated 'beards' and 'bearded brethren' might see that as bullying too.