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I'm having a bit of a mad Thursday.
I've always thought that the fly in the ointment of a trade union is the dratted members. A particular gripe is the ones with problems. This morning, for example, the branch secretary put round an email asking if anyone could help "Member X" with her problems. All very well, except that "Member X" has a union rep – me. I have been advising her on those same problems for months. All had been going swimmingly until I asked her to do some work herself. At that point it went quiet and I hadn't heard from her for weeks. Clearly she is in the market for a union rep who is less of a beast.
Also in the market for a union rep who is less of a beast is "Member Y". "Member Y" had been the responsibility of two senior reps, Comrade D and Comrade J between whom she quickly attained the status of 'poisonous' – she is a lady with a lot of mental difficulties, a drink problem and fuzzy boundaries.
When she moved to the Dull Grey Tower, Comrades D and J thought to wash their hands of "Member Y", and passed her to Comrade A, our branch secretary and usually a good egg. On meeting Comrade A, she decided she didn't like him. She tried Comrade S, another rep., who gave her some advice which she then misrepresented to her managers. When Comrade S (who's quite sensitive) remonstrated with her about this, she accused him of lying.
Her managers (who are at their wits' end) tried to get me to take the case. Having been warned by Comrades D, A and S about this member, I refused. Comrade I was approached by her managers as I had been and took the case on. Why was this? I don't know. He knew what she'd done to the other comrades. Either way, in one meeting with Comrade I "Member Y" decided she really didn't like him and decided she was going to return to Comrade A – who went pale on being told this.
We worked off all this in a week, coming to a head today.
Then two other cases came to a head today (I've never been so grateful for working from home – they had to do it by email) and one member has decided there's something fundamentally wrong with the civil service pension scheme. He may even be right, I don't know. The pension scheme is one area I try and keep away from, it's all too complicated and mathematical for me.
In short, a union is great, save for the members.
I've always thought that the fly in the ointment of a trade union is the dratted members. A particular gripe is the ones with problems. This morning, for example, the branch secretary put round an email asking if anyone could help "Member X" with her problems. All very well, except that "Member X" has a union rep – me. I have been advising her on those same problems for months. All had been going swimmingly until I asked her to do some work herself. At that point it went quiet and I hadn't heard from her for weeks. Clearly she is in the market for a union rep who is less of a beast.
Also in the market for a union rep who is less of a beast is "Member Y". "Member Y" had been the responsibility of two senior reps, Comrade D and Comrade J between whom she quickly attained the status of 'poisonous' – she is a lady with a lot of mental difficulties, a drink problem and fuzzy boundaries.
When she moved to the Dull Grey Tower, Comrades D and J thought to wash their hands of "Member Y", and passed her to Comrade A, our branch secretary and usually a good egg. On meeting Comrade A, she decided she didn't like him. She tried Comrade S, another rep., who gave her some advice which she then misrepresented to her managers. When Comrade S (who's quite sensitive) remonstrated with her about this, she accused him of lying.
Her managers (who are at their wits' end) tried to get me to take the case. Having been warned by Comrades D, A and S about this member, I refused. Comrade I was approached by her managers as I had been and took the case on. Why was this? I don't know. He knew what she'd done to the other comrades. Either way, in one meeting with Comrade I "Member Y" decided she really didn't like him and decided she was going to return to Comrade A – who went pale on being told this.
We worked off all this in a week, coming to a head today.
Then two other cases came to a head today (I've never been so grateful for working from home – they had to do it by email) and one member has decided there's something fundamentally wrong with the civil service pension scheme. He may even be right, I don't know. The pension scheme is one area I try and keep away from, it's all too complicated and mathematical for me.
In short, a union is great, save for the members.
