Double Standards
A new visitor to the blog site has been in touch - about the lack of support and poor advice from her trade union - over equal pay.
Join the queue - because there's thousands of people out there in exactly the same position.
The reader's complaint is that her own trade union knew fine well that she - and all her work colleagues - had perfectly valid equal pay claims.
Because of the big pay differences between traditional male and female jobs - which were well known to the trade unions - but not ordinary members.
Yet the reader's union allowed people to fend for themselves - instead of taking the initiative and actively lodging a claim on their members' behalf.
The reader goes on to highlight the unfairness of it all - and the inconsistency in her trade union's behaviour.
For example, when the trade union calls a strike ballot - she gets her own ballot paper and individual advice - and a pre-paid envelope to return her voting slip.
In other words she gets an individual service - albeit one that's required by law - and taking up her right to vote is made relatively easy.
Yet when it came to an equal pay claim - she was expected to go off and research the issue and come back to the union - if she wanted to fight against the widespread pay discrimination in her own council.
Interesting - isn't it - that this woman was effectively being required to jump through hoops and over hurdles - in order to pursue an equal pay claim.
Or to put it another way - she was being required to 'opt in' to to a process.
Whereas on another issue such as the Political Fund - trade unions members have to actively 'opt out' of paying a political levy to the Labour party.
So one thing - of great importance to Britain's union bosses (the Bubs) - is made easy.
While the other - of much greater importance to ordinary union members - is made much more daunting and difficult.
Understandably the reader is very unhappy - and believes that her trade union has failed to provide proper advice and support.
I can see her point - and agree wholeheartedly.
In fact it would be a good complaint to raise with an Independent Regulator of Trade Unions - if only we had one.
Join the queue - because there's thousands of people out there in exactly the same position.
The reader's complaint is that her own trade union knew fine well that she - and all her work colleagues - had perfectly valid equal pay claims.
Because of the big pay differences between traditional male and female jobs - which were well known to the trade unions - but not ordinary members.
Yet the reader's union allowed people to fend for themselves - instead of taking the initiative and actively lodging a claim on their members' behalf.
The reader goes on to highlight the unfairness of it all - and the inconsistency in her trade union's behaviour.
For example, when the trade union calls a strike ballot - she gets her own ballot paper and individual advice - and a pre-paid envelope to return her voting slip.
In other words she gets an individual service - albeit one that's required by law - and taking up her right to vote is made relatively easy.
Yet when it came to an equal pay claim - she was expected to go off and research the issue and come back to the union - if she wanted to fight against the widespread pay discrimination in her own council.
Interesting - isn't it - that this woman was effectively being required to jump through hoops and over hurdles - in order to pursue an equal pay claim.
Or to put it another way - she was being required to 'opt in' to to a process.
Whereas on another issue such as the Political Fund - trade unions members have to actively 'opt out' of paying a political levy to the Labour party.
So one thing - of great importance to Britain's union bosses (the Bubs) - is made easy.
While the other - of much greater importance to ordinary union members - is made much more daunting and difficult.
Understandably the reader is very unhappy - and believes that her trade union has failed to provide proper advice and support.
I can see her point - and agree wholeheartedly.
In fact it would be a good complaint to raise with an Independent Regulator of Trade Unions - if only we had one.
