What 1% is that? Since the BALPA subscription is tax deductable I can’t work out where the 1% is you talk about.
As for “useless” take a look at the various T&C’s on offer and see which company is currently offering the best. Then look at what percentage of BALPA membership is in that company? It could be coincidence but I doubt it.
If all you want is legal representation then there are cheaper ways to get it…but the cover offered is very limited and the lawyers won’t just take up your case because you say so. They will look at the case merits and decide if they stand a good chance of winning and go from there…just like BALPA. They also won’t help you keep your job when you suffer that brain fart as we all sometimes do. They won’t be lobbying parliament etc etc. I’ve sat as condemned prisoner’s friend on more than one occasion. We got results that no lawyer would achieve.
As I found out when I got involved, BALPA do a better job than most people believe. There is a staggering amount of work going on behind the scenes that is not apparent unless you look or suddenly find yourself doing it. It’s not perfect by any stretch of imagination but there is nothing currently on offer that is better.
Having seen first hand some of the wheezes tabled by our management (and they are an enlightened lot when compared to some) I have realised that the Victorian mill owner mindset is alive and well in 2010.
Paul is not paying for a dog, he is joining an association. That association helps him achieve his aims through collective action and effort. If it fails him as he claims, then he needs to ensure that that is corrected. If the majority of his colleagues agree with him, then he and his colleagues have to get off their backsides and stand together and resolve the issue.
BALPA is Paul and his colleagues, not some super hero army that will ride in and fight their battles for them.