Heading towards a general strike?

Normandygirl

"What I will say is that I have mentioned having a union at work and have been told quite categorically that the owner would sell up and retire… and I believe he would.."

Your employer has no right to know if you are a union member or not and certainly cannot use blackmail to discourage you joining one.

Good lord, I have not said he would use blackmail! I just think he would not want the hassle and as he is in his late 50s he could easily sell up and retire..

What I will say is that I have mentioned having a union at work and have been told quite categorically that the owner would sell up and retire… and I believe he would..

So you broach the subject of belonging to a union at work and the " categorical" response is if that happens I will sell up . Sounds very much like blackmail to me.

Shinamae You boss is very lucky to have found such a hard working, compassionate and committed employee. It sounds as though you are devoted to the people in your care.

Just as he could sell up and retire, so you could up and leave. If you were to threaten this would he pay you more? A union makes these kind of negotiations on employees behalf and would benefit you and your hard-working colleagues. Your boss knows that and that's why he 'doesn't want the hassle'.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the care home sector in light of the government's proposals to make it easier for care home workers to come to the country and fill the thousands of job vacancies here.

Care home workers should pay more.

Also, is it 'hassle' to want decently paid, appreciated, happy employees who stay and work hard? If it is then he shouldn't be in the business of employing people.

If care home employers paid a decent, fair wage they wouldn't be such difficulty recruiting and retaining staff.

Wouldn't a general strike be great! This Tory government brought to heel for the way it has permitted the rich to prosper and the poor to suffer.
Shinamae you have lots of advice about joining a union. I would ask how much do you suppose your employer takes home each year? And why is he so afraid of union membership? Could it possibly be because he knows he is exploiting you?

In general care workers don’t have unions, it just doesn’t happen. They can ill afford to join them when they’re earning so little. Also the home carers have it even worse. They get minimum wage in general, and that’s only payable when they’re actually on a call. So when clients aren’t in close proximity to each other or there's a gap, eg they only work 20 minutes in one hour then they get paid for that time and nothing for the other 40 minutes. Without the goodwill of these people then the care industry would be in a worse state than it already is. Fact of the matter is that if employers are working within the law then nothing can be done. Retail workers have a raw deal too. I’ve been a member of USDAW, Unison and currently, Unite. None of them are much good. Can you imagine what would happen if workers in care,retail and manufacturing went on strike. It would have terrible consequences. And yet they aren’t paid as much as rail workers, nor do they have the better conditions either. It’s been like that forever, including under Labour governments. It’s a sorry situation.

Normandygirl

What I will say is that I have mentioned having a union at work and have been told quite categorically that the owner would sell up and retire… and I believe he would..

So you broach the subject of belonging to a union at work and the " categorical" response is if that happens I will sell up . Sounds very much like blackmail to me.

HE has NOT said any such thing,it is the consensus of the management..

No, Glorianny, a general strike would not be ‘great’. A lot of people would suffer in many ways.

RichmondPark1

Shinamae You boss is very lucky to have found such a hard working, compassionate and committed employee. It sounds as though you are devoted to the people in your care.

Just as he could sell up and retire, so you could up and leave. If you were to threaten this would he pay you more? A union makes these kind of negotiations on employees behalf and would benefit you and your hard-working colleagues. Your boss knows that and that's why he 'doesn't want the hassle'.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the care home sector in light of the government's proposals to make it easier for care home workers to come to the country and fill the thousands of job vacancies here.

Care home workers should pay more.

What is happening, at least in the care home I work in is that we are employing a lot of Indians because the English do not want the hard work at such low wages. There is some sort of scheme where he sponsors the Indians to come over and they then have to stay for five years.
I have absolutely nothing against the Indians,they are hard-working and reliable but their English is very poor and the residents cannot understand what they’re saying but we need feet on the floor and that’s the bottom line. I can see as the English leave (and I don’t know how much longer I will be working because I’m 69 now) we will have more and more Indian workers and I think you’ll find a lot of care homes rely on foreign workers..

It is precisely because people such as OP are being exploited by private bosses that the big, powerful unions need to strike - they are doing it to support ALL workers. In 2022 an employee should not be blackmailed by her boss and threatened with losing her job simply because she stands up for her rights. We aren’t living in Dickensian Britain (although, I do wonder at times).

LizzieDrip

It is precisely because people such as OP are being exploited by private bosses that the big, powerful unions need to strike - they are doing it to support ALL workers. In 2022 an employee should not be blackmailed by her boss and threatened with losing her job simply because she stands up for her rights. We aren’t living in Dickensian Britain (although, I do wonder at times).

Good lord how often do I have to say it? I am neither being blackmailed or threatened by the owner of my care home!!

Without the goodwill of these people then the care industry would be in a worse state than it already is.

Precisely! But goodwill won’t pay this winter’s energy bills or put food on the table. Care workers, like all workers, deserve a decent, living wage.

What I will say is that I have mentioned having a union at work and have been told quite categorically that the owner would sell up and retire… and I believe he would.

I must have misunderstood. This sounds like the threat of losing your job to me.

Unions are not just there to for more pay. That is a very narrow minded view of what they are about.

The fact that the railway workers earn more than average does not mean that they have less right to strike than those on less, and the fact that some groups have no real ability to strike does not mean that those who do have that ability should not.

Shinamae, it is difficult to tell what you are asking in your OP. Many people, including me, have misunderstood what you are getting at, and you seem frustrated when people keep getting it wrong, so it might make sense if you explain your point of view again?

HE has NOT said any such thing,it is the consensus of the management..

Why have the management concluded that the owner would close down if the staff were union members ? Logic dictates that they must have broached the subject with him.

Certainly a massive winter of discontment.

I think the last thing the U.K. needs at the moment is a general strike.

I don't know how workers can get through to this government without taking some sort of drastic action. They (the government, such as it is) have taken an arrogant and dismissive attitude to the population, and noting I have seen about Truss suggests that she will be any different from her predecessor.

Nobody gos on strike lightly, but what else can people do, unless they are prepared to keep working but getting poorer and poorer whilst companies are making higher and higher profits on their backs?

Those who do not advocate striking - what advice would you give to someone working a 40 hour week on minimum wage who is frightened of the future?

GrannyGravy13

I think the last thing the U.K. needs at the moment is a general strike.

Especially if it works as well as the present strikes by transport workers

It’s possible to earn a much higher rate as a carer working for an agency.

Care home owners, whether individuals or the awful big groups, are only focused on profit and lining their pockets. They know the best staff are too kind and compassionate to leave them in the lurch just because they’re grossly underpaid. It stinks.

Of course Johnson lied about fixing social care. What do you expect from a Tory? They simply don't care.

Grantanow

Of course Johnson lied about fixing social care. What do you expect from a Tory? They simply don't care.

The plan was to pay for fixing social care was by raising NI rates and only after extra money had gone to the NHS.
This NI increased amounts only came into force this financial year. How quickly would you expect this to have an effect months ?

m.facebook.com/watch/?v=1408402296337012¬if_t=watch_follower_video¬if_id=1660768932391147&ref=m_notif
Nationalise railways. A few good reasons

Shinamae

LizzieDrip

It is precisely because people such as OP are being exploited by private bosses that the big, powerful unions need to strike - they are doing it to support ALL workers. In 2022 an employee should not be blackmailed by her boss and threatened with losing her job simply because she stands up for her rights. We aren’t living in Dickensian Britain (although, I do wonder at times).

Good lord how often do I have to say it? I am neither being blackmailed or threatened by the owner of my care home!!

well in that case, why don't you join a union?

Germanshepherdsmum

No, Glorianny, a general strike would not be ‘great’. A lot of people would suffer in many ways.

A lot of people are suffering already. Why is it OK to keep workers on inadequate wages, whilst making huge profits, but not to withdraw your labour?