Roffa,
With you 100% There are too may members of the union who do not think for themselves, then blame the union. When it comes to a ballot these people (if they can be bothered to vote) just vote the way the union recommends.
The union is there to work for the members, not the other way round. The union is fully aware of this but is only as strong as its membership. If the majority vote against the unions recommendation, then the union will carry out the wishes of the membership.
The union have given 'yes' recommendations in the past because they
believe the proposal is the best they can get... without recourse to industrial action. The union are in the best position to make this assumption,
but that does not mean that as a union member, if you think the deal is rubbish (and you have to be realistic with your expectations here), then you do not have to follow the union lead.
The union will do what its membership ask of it. The past 4 or 5 years are littered with ballots that have followed the union recommendation, only for the membership (who voted it in) to then whinge about it 6 months down the line
