Should The Private Sector Follow Suit With This Sensible Change?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33798700
long time comming.

[wolf63]

I don't 'do' politics but I can't see that there was a problem that need fixing - or was it problematic?

I was a civil servant for a 'while' without joining the union and then chose to join. I never questioned having my subscriptions being paid via my pay.

Am I just politically naive? Or what?

[Buenchico]

I can't see that it will make any great difference. It's not the membership of a trade union which is 'automatic' under the current system; it's simply the way that some subscriptions are paid.

So, for example, a teacher is currently free to join the NUT, NASUWT, ATL, Voice or any other relevant union, or simply no union at all. He/she can then either sign a form asking his his/her bank to make monthly payments to their chosen union or a similar form asking his/her employer to do so.

If he/she chooses to ask the employer to make the payments, the employer simply has to enter a very small amount of data into their computer system (which only takes a few seconds); it's hardly a major administrative task!

[237SJ]

No. I can`t see how the deduction of union subscriptions costs a company money. Many companies these days don`t manage their own payroll anyway - it`s contracted out which saves a lot more money than administering union fees.

[ToraToraTora]

they claim it will save £6m.

[Buenchico]

If they can genuinely save £6m through the proposals they should be examining their administrative systems because it shouldn't be costing that much (or anything like it) in the first place!

[237SJ]

A lot of large companies have lottery schemes, leisure club schemes and the fees for those are taken out of salary (mine does). Such companies won`t stop union fees being taken out of salaries.

[Canary42]

"They claim it will save £6m"

In the immortal words of Mandy Rice-Davies, "They would, wouldn't they"

[mikey4444]

No...this is a typical attack on the Unions by the Tory Party. When I first joined what was then called GPO Telephones, in 1969, there was no difficulty whatsoever in having my Union dues taken out at source, and that was many years before DD's and computerised payroll. As far as I know, BT still does this and its been hived off and privatised since 1984. If BT can do it, there is no reason whatsoever why the public sector can't do the same.

[Old_Geezer]

I don't see how this is a sensible change at all. It merely inconveniences those in the trade union because their employer can't be bothered to make the deductions at the simplest place. It looks to be more of a, "can't be bothered with unvalued staff, blow them" move so it may well be grabbed by the private sector who are so keen these days to push responsibility downwards.

And yes, not being that naive, I'm sure the driver for this is a right wing government hoping this will deal a blow to unions who stand up for workers' right against the government's "employer friends" and allow workers less opportunity to get a fair deal.

Sure they can still join the union (maybe, if one continues to exist) but will they get around to it before they are too late and need them ?

For a union to be effective it needs the support of the workforce, not freeloaders who only wish to sign up when things are tough and they are suddenly grateful a union they didn't support before still exists (if it does).

It is a blatant anti-worker action from those who think the employers should hold all the aces.

[ToraToraTora]

....what and spoil all the fun mikey!

[mikey4444]

£6m wouldn't even pay the cost of Ministers chauffeur driven cars, or the Speakers, as was seen recently. This is just a nasty attack on working people, and it should be seen as such.

[mikey4444]

OG...I wish I could give you BA !

[ToraToraTora]

you mean the "working" people on £50k on the tube today mikey? right oh! this is an attack on Unions, the traditional enemy of the working man.

[Old_Geezer]

I'm sure t³ will ;-)

[New Judge]

I think you'll find, Mikey, that BT stopped deducting union subs via the payroll some time ago (certainly on behalf of the Society of Telecom Executives - which was later absorbed by "Connect" which in turn was subsumed into "Prospect" - anyway). Members of that Union had to set up direct debit payment payments.

[Prudie]

The Unite workers at my public sector employment had to switch to direct debit payments last summer so it's not new and certainly not since the May election. I fail to see why it's so unfair?

[ubasses]

I cannot see a problem I always paid by DD, and new judge is correct, husband worked for BT and had done since it was the GPO and paid his by DD.