PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - BA Strike - Your Thoughts & Questions II
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Old 30th Aug 2010, 10:36
  #1655 (permalink)  
Ancient Observer
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
Posts: 1,759
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RTR and call100.

Different situations, = different behaviours by reps.
I've worked in a number of different sectors in different countries. Generally, when I have encountered "lay" reps., or employees who act as representatives of their members, they have done so to the best of their abilities.
However, sometimes their behaviour is not for their members, it can be for other reasons. In the 70s and 80s in the UK, rather too many reps operated for party political reasons. Scargill is the most famous, but he was a paid TU official, not a rep. However, to act as a lay rep in the NUM you had to follow the Scargill line.
My worst experience was of a small group of reps in the Aviation sector. As the individuals concerned had only ever worked in Aviation, and had no experience of work outside Aviation, all they knew about work was from Aviation. They observed the behaviours of others in Aviation, and decided that being a rep was all about maximising their own personal income and power base. The other reps in the Company saw what was going on and did NOT support this small group of reps.
Having gained support in the Company concerned for the need to take action, the Employee Relations Manager, and the managers of these non-reps, removed them one by one from their "rep" positions. Two left the company, one became a very valued contributor to the company.
It can be done, it just takes time and care.

If the Company has real problems, whole Union branches can be transformed by focussed action by the relevant management.. I've seen it done. However, to achieve this requires a book of instructions, way beyond a post on this thread.
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