Monday 26 January 2009

Trade Unions - Who needs them?

The Woolies scandal has revealed all manner of employment related problems but our Jersey Trades Unions are noticeably absent from the debate. WHY?

How many Trades Unions are there in Jersey? Where are they in the telephone directory? How can people join a union if they are afraid of losing their jobs or have work related disputes?

We asked Mick Corbel of the Jersey T&G union (Unite) for an interview but he declined our offer.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

The unions are only interested in States workers - and that's because they have a cosy alliance with the establishement. They play a few games but in truth they usually get what they want to mutual benefit.

Anonymous said...

There should be one island wide union to deal with cost of living realignments. One big powerful union to help combat big business over here to ensure a fair deal for all workers. Band of Brothers Unite and demand recognition for your hard work.

Anonymous said...

Don't mess with Unite

One Day said...

What is the anti-trade union legislation?

Anonymous said...

A few years ago the States passed legislation that was very restrictive on the circumstances under which unions could organise demonstrations. I think that one of the consequences was that they could not support other workers who were not in their union. This said, in the case of woolworths, there was nothing stopping the individual union members showing their support. Sadly, over here the unions have little teeth and seem scared of their own tail at times

Anonymous said...

If enough people were to demand an island wide union it would happen but as we all know when pressure is applied in the right way many people cave in to it. This is why things will be hard to change for the average person over here.

One Day said...

Thank you Deputy Tadier, so does this legislation in effect cancels any action to benefit members of unions? It leaves me thinking that unions are ineffective in their operation in Jersey, and is there any point in belonging to a union? Can you tell me the benefits of belonging to a union with this legislation in place and what in your opinion needs to changed?