All,
There is a middle ground in everything. I have no doubt there are people in the various unions that are there for the right reasons doing a good job day in day out. For me, the biggest single problem is that the outlook is often towards confrontation and not cooperation. That is a fundamental flaw and you do concede there are concerns that even you have about the top of these organisations.
It is also not clever to use the argument that my views are outdated, yet use the word 'scabs' when referring to non-union members. If things have moved on, that is definitely not a way to show it.
In the end it is a matter of choice. As I said earlier the organisation I was involved with on union issues remains non-unionised. What really annoyed me at the time was that there was lots of peer pressure involved and the union overstated its benefits and capabilities to the audience. That may have changed today and I am prepared to take your word for it.
I do still think non-unionised workforces can secure good conditions and salaries, and maybe without starting staring steely eyed across a table can secure a better deal for all. You are much more likely to secure a good result with free and open dialogue without a background of bitterness, resentment and mistrust are you not?
For those organisations where there is no alternative, then of course the unions have their place. It just brings with it payrises effected by argument over a number of weeks about fractions of decimal places that might, in the end, let a family take the granparents out for Sunday lunch once a month. It turns negotiations into a game that often gets personal, and whoever feels they 'lost' last year wants to win the game this year. All a bit sad really as there are families out there dependant upon that circus to secure a good deal for them. I personally don't side with employer or union. I just see the system can often become a fiasco.
The Honda story is a good example of common sense prevailing. Honda would not want to lose such a modern and productive plant with cheap labour compared with the rest of Europe. The consequences for the government of paying unempoyment benefit for all those people would be a big incentive for the union bosses to have shared a few phone calls. For the people involved (beyond the 1'300 that took redundancy) a good solution was a pay cut. Everybody played their part but please don't be so naive to suggest this solution was hatched by the union. Honda, the employees and the government made it happen with union in support. Please don't forget though that this keeps 500 in employment more than is required. It is a good plan if the recession is temporary as it locks in all that skillbase for better times ahead. If the thing drags on however, the place is very overstaffed.
Last edited by greuzi; 1st Jun 2009 at 06:48.