Trade Union

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In UK (not sure about anywhere else) you can join a Trade Union that is independent from your workplace for a small fee each month. They call this fee a sub.

Unison for example would charge £1.30 a month for people who earn upto £2000 a month. You are paying for them to represent you fairly if something goes wrong for you at your works. For instance if you feel you are being treated unfairly.

There is a Trade Union for most jobs for example https://caiwu.org.uk/drupal/?q=node/3 is a Trade Union for cleaners.

I've been a trade union member for well over thirty years. I belong to a specialist union that looks after people in the particular job I do. I have never had to use their services but I still appreciate all the hard work they do in the background to look after my interests. I pay a lot more than the £1.30 a month you quote but I still consider my membership to be very good value for money. One day I just might need to use their specialist services. The odds are weighted far too heavily in favour of employers over employees in the UK.

Yeah £1.30 a month does sound a bit too appealing but I just quoted what it said on the unison site.

I really wish I'd have joined a union. There was warning signs at my previous place of employment and I should have gone with those signs.

There are far too many bad bosses in the UK so it is important to have representation if and when you need it.

My problem was that I couldn't just leave even though I knew I was being treated unfairly because you just can't do that in this country and because of the way I am i have real problems at interviews as well. So I just stayed in a job where I knew I was being taken advantage of because I felt stuck. If I'd have had representation then I'm sure I would have been treated a hell of a lot better by these dreadful bosses.

I ended up having to fight on my own in the end. I was undoubtedly unfairly dismissed because it was their sole purpose to constructively dismiss me but I didn't fall for it. The disciplinary was so painful because it was a battle of wills but I stuck to my guns and forced them to fire me. That was the only way I could claim any compensation. It wasn't even a fraction of what I would have got if I'd have taken them through a tribunal but at least I got something out of it.

Anyway I will definitely be joining a union when I get another job in the future and I will always advise anyone to join one as well.

Like you said you have never had to turn to them but at least you know they are there and they will work for you if you do ever need them.

We really don't have this sort of thing in the US. I wish we did.

Saying this, I'm lucky enough to be a member of a union, and of the civil service. Both give me excellent job security, and (because I'm in the civil service), I will get a pension when I retire in 1 year, 3 months.

Oh you're counting down the days Krafti

Yep....that I am!