USRs Sacrifice Employment Careers

Exclusive new research from Personnel Today and the TUC reveals that a surprising 92% of union reps believe they are sacrificing their careers in order to represent their colleagues even though they enjoy a largely positive, professional working relationship with their organisations' HR departments.

More than nine in ten union reps (92%) responding to the survey think their career prospects have been hampered by their personal involvement with unions. Some 38% believe this is definitely the case and 54% believe it is possibly so.

Paul Nowak, national organiser at the TUC, says: "Too many union reps feel their careers are put on the line because of their representative role. Finely worded policies are not enough - managers need to demonstrate practically that staff taking on reps roles will not lose out when it comes to career prospects, pay or development opportunities."

Other TUC research published this week highlights the positive contribution that unions make to company performance.

The report, 'Making the difference: Union representatives and company performance', suggests that unions can help organisations develop the trust needed between employer and employee that is central to achieving high performance.

It adds the unions also prevent management abuses, because 'we do make it more difficult for managers to hire and fire people at will, to disregard health and safety or unilaterally demand a more intense pace of work. If these constraints on 'flexibility' are the main barriers to improved performance or higher productivity then it is not surprising that unions should be seen as the villains of the story.' The report points to a series of studies showing better health and safety standards in workplaces with effective union organisation on safety.

Source: TUC Risks

 


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