Usdaw

[Bitter Ashes]

I've only been offered a place in a union once and that was these guys, USDAW and I was a member. Funny thing was, where I was working probably had the worst case of bad practices by managers. It did kind of feel like there was nothing bieng done. Is that normal these days with unions due to restrictions or does USDAW in paritcular just have a bad track record?

[rednordman]

Ha, I have been waiting for a post like this for ages, so here goes. I am not 100% sure about how things are with other unions, but as a member let me say, UDSAW is SHITE! I mean that felt good, just to get off my chest. Basically, I work at a Tescos distribuition warehouse in staffordshire, all i can say is that they definitly are tescos union. They are officially the only union that they recognise and any other unions are either not listened to, or consided illigal to be active on site. I'v even heard rumours that the current chairman, got bailed out by the company.
What you have where i work, is a load of managers walking around, doing f-all, while the rest of the workers basically get worked to death. I mean if for a week for instance, our performance is not at 100% or over, we get threated with a formal warning. Get 3 more of these and your sacked. Granted, not that many people have been sacked yet on performance, because they would nearabout sack the whole warehouse.
The worst thing is that, there is such a rush, its impossible to do the jobs safely and there has been loads of accidents since the warehouse has been open. In an induction for doing jobs that involve heavy lifting, many of you will get given a rather antaganising demonstration on how to lift correctly (you know the one, bend knees, back straight, etc.). At this warehouse, it all goes out the window as the targets are so high, if you where to do everything like they tell you, you would not even achieve 80% for the whole day.
As you look around at all the mayhem, what you see is people of all ages, man and women, looking v pissed off, using dangerous techniques and generally sweating trying to hit the percentages. What do the 'o so mighty' managers have to say for their troubles: 'your all pathetic, even my mother could hit the percentage easilly, you do not desearve you wage, you get the picture. The funny thing is that they themselves have generally never picked and certainly do not have to do any hard and labourous work. Even the ones that have, could scacely get over 90%, before getting the promotion, yet they have the cheek, to say the things that they do, even when the aisles are pack out on weekends do to volume of work. If anything, we have to do more work than the managers and we get monitored all day, yet we still get a shit wage and they get about 2 times as much.
Another bad thing is that they expect fantastic results (take it for granted almost) yet all the equipment is rubbish...I mean this is one of tescos brand new 'flagship' warehouses, would would think that all the equipment would be brand new, or at least not falling apart. I have been to another much older tescos warehouse and though the warehouse is smaller, its miles better, the union is strong, the equipment is ok, pickers are on bonuses for getting over 100%, and the get to have 15mins rest whenever they want, if they are averaging over the targets. They also on annualised hours.
Why should we be any different, they expect more of us, and we get paid less than the other warehouses, get worked hard, and only get 30mins break in 8hours.

I apologise is i have gone on to much there, but it needs to be said, after all isnt tescos meant to be the shining goldern example of capitalism in todays world:rolleyes: and a good company to work for:laugh:?..
..And then comes the so-called USDAW union. What have they done to fight for the working man and women against the bastion of capitalism in the west?..Agreed with every bit of anti-worker legistlation that they have put up to make things harder for us. I mean if you get injured now, ur damed. They would probably prosecute You! Thankfully it has not happened yet, but just imagine breaking your back..and getting a wonderfull, and comforting £5000 fine for not following a procedure that is impossible to follow anyway, if you want to keep your job.
I think that the only thing that USDAW achieved for us was a pathetic payrise (im not going to say what it was), this is from a company that even during the recession is still hauling it in and probably one of the richest and successful retailers in the world right now.

[GeezAF]

Ha, I joined usdaw yesterday. I'm not even sure if anyone's actually in the union where I work. I hope to recruit for the IWW there. ;)

Any usdaw wobs out there?

[Sam_b]

UDSAW is SHITE!

I kind of agree, but that is emphatically not the point.

Nobody should dispute USDAW's stance on the Tescos strike (amongst others) as the leadership completely sold out workers in the dispute and sided with the bosses. That is a fact. But then USDAW is not the only union that has sided with the bosses over the years, and unfortunately won't be the last. I don't see any point in forming a different 'red' union or whatever to counter this as it will inevitably split the workforce by union and weaken any collective bargaining power. The strategy has to be a long process of trying to take back the union. After all, strength is in the membership. We should be encouraging pro-worker and leftists to stand for their shop stewards position, and also to try and get onto the executive, at the same time as putting pressure on management and union leadership for industrial action. I think unions like PCS and CWU have done well at this over the years, so there's no reason not to try it with USDAW.

[Pogue]

To be honest mate, in the UK you won't find much aciton in many workplaces in regards to unions, except ones where there is a very storng entrenched union presence. If there is such a presenc eit'll be hard to ignore. For example if you work for the NHS you'll notice that UNISON are active there. They have some good representatives at the lower levels.

I'd imagine USDAW suffer from many of the same problems as most of the reformist unions do, i.e. of reformism and not going far enough, and being too passive towards the bosses. They certainly didn't appeal to me when I worked in a shop, and I joined GMB instead. I'd go as far as to say in workplaces such as shops, it'd be best to self-organise as the IWW as the union presence is rarely big due to the nature of the work and how often people change (part timers, student workers, etc). Direct action unionism is your best hope, so I'd suggest a radical, fighting union like the IWW. Thats not just because I'm a member, although obviously I'm biase, but I'd honestly say, from my experience, the more reformist unions will not do much for you and tend to back down in face of job cuts in workplaces. I regret I didn't organise more where I was to be honest.

[rednordman]

Another thing that kinda grates me about UDSAW is that in the monthly magasine that I get for being a member (cannot remember what its called). Instead of reports about fighting for workers rights, its more interested in telling us how to claim benefits thats we are supposed to be eligible for, which in my opinion, defeats the point of the union in the first place. There isnt anything wrong with this, but ar'nt they are supposed to be fighting for our rights and better working conditions, So we do not need to claim benefits!-Because the way things are going, were going to need more and more income support due to droping wages/increase in cost of living, and eventually money for back and spine operations due to over work..but then again I guess that is another topic all together.

[Sam_b]

Again I partly agree with you. One of the roles of a union must be to provide members with information about claiming entitlements, various forms of insurance, how to report a grievance etc: but I think these things should be a given. You're absolutely right to expect more from them than this. At a time of economic crisis, unions should not be some sort of mythical entity protecting the workers, but rather the workers organising and uniting to represent themselves and their interests.

If one thing is clear to me (I don't have any experience with USDAW, fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), it is that USDAW workers need to send a clear message to the management (the union bureaucracy, who are a distinct social formation and not what we should consider part of the class) that this will not do. Hopefully there have been some thoughts about standing a left slate in the future: if so please let us know :)

[rednordman]

I kind of agree, but that is emphatically not the point.

Nobody should dispute USDAW's stance on the Tescos strike (amongst others) as the leadership completely sold out workers in the dispute and sided with the bosses. That is a fact. But then USDAW is not the only union that has sided with the bosses over the years, and unfortunately won't be the last. I don't see any point in forming a different 'red' union or whatever to counter this as it will inevitably split the workforce by union and weaken any collective bargaining power. The strategy has to be a long process of trying to take back the union. After all, strength is in the membership. We should be encouraging pro-worker and leftists to stand for their shop stewards position, and also to try and get onto the executive, at the same time as putting pressure on management and union leadership for industrial action. I think unions like PCS and CWU have done well at this over the years, so there's no reason not to try it with USDAW. To be fair after seeing the list of people going up for the general elections, alot where claiming left-wing policies. Definitly a breath of fresh air from who they have now. The real worrying thing is that from what I can see, no one has any real faith or interest within this democratic process.
The last election the same man (John Hannet) got the position again, but the turn out was pathetic. People seem to just accept that things are the way they are and any attempt at change is futile. This then leads to my other worry, and that is whether or not the election is democratic at all. I do not know who actually counts the votes/monitors the procedure, but when it comes to a point where everyone is given up and not really paying attention, whats stopping them from ignouring a result that they do not favour? Shocking, but Im convinced that this now happens, between alot of "passive" unions and private enterprise.

[Sam_b]

Oh definitely, yes. It seems logical that in this time of crisis there is this feeling of alienation and pointlessness, to elections of any kind. Thankfully, I think several unions are now bucking this trend.

The job is to radicalise workplaces, though this is easier said than done. Have you considered standing for shop steward?

[rednordman]

Oh definitely, yes. It seems logical that in this time of crisis there is this feeling of alienation and pointlessness, to elections of any kind. Thankfully, I think several unions are now bucking this trend.

The job is to radicalise workplaces, though this is easier said than done. Have you considered standing for shop steward?mmm..its a very difficult choice to make, but i have thought about it. The problem for me is the communist link. I hate to admit this, but i kind of fear that tescos would smear me if they where to find out and catch breath of it. They could try and make me out to be someone who is only interested in myself and does not want to help people, or evil and outlandish:rolleyes: Which is total rubbish, but things are different now then they where 10years ago. I mean, a few weeks back I had one of the main rep come up to be an say that he wished all the immigrants would go home and all that. Not in an agressive way, but it shocked me as he's a decent and chilled chap, and I just thought..not you aswell.

[Forward Union]

I have a friend and fellow wob who is a member of USDAW (useless seven days a week)

[rednordman]

I have a friend and fellow wob who is a member of USDAW (useless seven days a week):laugh:lol