Are UK trade unions dinosaurs that should be allowed to die out ?

Unfortunately Unions will never be put to grass as a lot of employers mistreat their staff that without Unions, those staff members would never get justice. It is not just unions who can be bad, employers can be worse and that is why Unions are going to stay on forever even if some of them might be hopelessly incompetent.

No

The ONLY protection the workers have from companies is a union

Even worse - they get no protection from government unless they are forced to by the EU

At this moment there are loads of companies that force zero hour contracts on people.

So though you are officially employed you are not guaranteed any income.

Even worse that this - the government does nothing about them

If you chuck up this "non income" then as far as the job centre (aka the government) is concerned you gave up your "job" volutarily so are not entitled to any job seekers allowance

"They might have been supervisors for a segment of the workforce who have then risen up through the ranks of the union heirarchy, their progress marked out by success in disputes with companies."

The same applies to managers. Most of the time they have moved up through a company, their "success" being due to they're doing what the higher ups want. NOT cos they are good managers

I have worked for 9 companies. In all I would say I have only seen say 5 "good" managers .

Most could not tell their a//se from their elbow as far as managing was concerned

And also - of that 9 NONE exist any more. some have gone bust and some have been taken over

ALL if this as the result of sh//t poor managers. (cos there were VERY few strikes in any of them - in most none at all)

(I spent 3 years arguing and writing reports to get a piece of equipment a company desperately needed to stay competitive - cost £200000. During those years the company spent £30000 completely refitting the board dining room. I just gave up and went to another company. The company went bust 2 years after I left

Just remembered somethign that migth be interesting

THAT company opened a new factory but kept the head office at the old one

The managing director did not know where the new one was so had to get somebody to drive him there. When he got there neither him nor the driver could find the entrance so they went around knocking on windows for somebody to show them. When he got in the factory most people hadnt a clue who he was so just ignored him - they had to put photos of him (and others) on the notice board.)

(You see companies in germany going bust?

And germany has the highest wages and employers social costs in the EU)

Yes skargill was wrong in the 70's 80's

But at that time we had 400 years worth of coal underground. Its still there but it will now cost a fortune to get at it

And where are we now?

We import gas from the USSR over a pipeline thousands of miles long

We import coal from poland - 1500 miles

We import oil

We import electricity from france

And in a few years time we will be having power cuts. cos we dont have enough generating capacity and are having to get china to pay for a nuclear power station (which STILL wont solve the problem)

So we have managers who know f//k all about managing

and a government who knows f//k about how to run a country (and that applies to cons and lab)

(not surprising really when - what is it - 20 out of 29 ministers are millionaires (which they DIDNT get by working) and most of the others lawyers)

and YOU are blaming unions for it.

While employers continue to take advantage of their workers and don't follow employment legislation there is a role for unions. And I can tell you from experience that a lot of companies break a lot of laws, not to mention screw their workers over with the likes of shortening their hours to below the NI rate, forcing them to be self-employed and so forth so our unions are needed just as much as they ever are.

And companies are still having bosses jailed for health and safety breaches which result in death and serious injury - know that from personal experience too.

No because there will always be employers who are prepared to break the rules and rip their own employees off and use them like slaves so no matter how bad SOME of them seem they are still needed. In fact with this shower of rich posh boys that are supposedly running the country we definitely still need someone to stick up for the little guy.

Not all Unions are dinosaurs so you shouldn't jump to conclusions just because one lot made a mess of things after all the government have been making an arsse of things for a number of years now. They are allowing us to me ripped of my them, Energy companies, Insurance companies, Phone companies, etc, etc,

The main issue I have a problem with is ballots, when Unite leader Len McCluskey got reelected it was by 55% with a turnout of just 15%,hardly democratic, all I would like to see is a minimum 60% turnout, for all ballots.

yes?