I am a member of the Unite Union in Dundee. I am also a supporter of Trades Unions in general but since Bob Crow sadly passed away I don’t think we have many good trade union leaders left at all.
But anyway I have tried to follow a story about Unite this last weekend.
The Labour Party are hosting a Labour Live event at White Heart Lane in London on 16th June and allegedly ticket sales have been very poor. There are 15,000 tickets available, allegedly only a few thousand have been sold at £35.00 a pop.
Now it appears that Unite the Union have purchased a thousand tickets and are offering free transport to the event for those who successfully apply for a ticket through local Labour branches.
I sent a tweet to Unite in Scotland asking if this were in fact true.
So far, unsurprisingly, I have had no reply to my tweet. Now I have no issue with trades unions financially supporting any political parties through donations of the members who have agreed to the political levy, but using money from members who have not been asked for a political event is not on.
I believe that trade unions are vital, especially in this country, but decisions like this turn people away and certainly I feel annoyed that my monthly membership fee is being used to support a party that I want no part of.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
You must know the upper echelons of any political party
Don’t really consult members
They like Tory party just BASH ON
and then. Explain later if at al and are caught.
Bob
Unions are very important but run by the same mind set as the political parties in the larger unions. I did speak to a shop steward who said that the local branch wasn’t involved and that he agreed with me. It isn’t enough though, members have to have more control and not just those active in the Labour Party. I need to make sure that I am not paying the political levy, the branch couldn’t confirm my opt out so I need to get in touch with the head office.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Hard to believe that I was once a Shop Steward for both NALGO and then Unite. I still think that the joining of those two organizations was the worst thing for those in the office. I became a Steward after my office was sold down the river by the manual staff. Without consultation they removed our Good Friday holiday and changed it for the third holiday at New Year. I gave up working for Unite when other Stewards would not give support to one of my members who was being accused of bullying by a manual worker. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the case I always thought people were innocent until proved guilty.
Since then I have looked carefully at their actions, my Husband was being bullied in his job to the point that he contacted his union. Did they help, not bleeding likely.
Looking at all of them now I see that this is like the Church in the Middle Ages, where the lad o’pairts goes to get on. The number of Stewards who became councillors, legendary. No time for them now. I was asked when I joined the NHS if I wanted to represent my office. I said not on your life.
Helena
I wasn’t in the Union for years then joined again when the Tories got back in and DCC we’re making a lot of changes. I just wanted some protection but you need to have a decent shop steward and I have also had a negative experience when I was an apprentice in the 80s. I don’t agree with them using general funds though to support political parties, members need more more control. I need to double check I am not paying the levy to the Labour Party and did make contact with my shop steward who said the local branch were not involved and agreed with me. Unite have not got back to my two tweets now and if I don’t hear from them it will be an email by the end of the week. We do need them but not the Len Mcks of the world, Bon Crow was the only one I liked but saying that they are as bad as the political parties. This country is just so broken now everywhere.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I need to correct my Unions, NALGO and NUP, joined to form Unison. NUPE paid the levy, NALGO did not and when I was there never did. My Husbands Union, well trying to opt out, what a joke. They would be better served paying the Tories for protection, I am joking, or am I. The Lens etc, all they are in it for us themselves, a nice wee comfy seat in the HOL. I know it is wrong to generalise but boy they make you. I briefly joined the TGWU, then they tried to tell me how to vote, never a good idea with me. You can guess what I did.
Helena
Thats kinda why I came out of the GMB, they came out for a no vote in 2014 without consulting members and I cancelled my membership and sent them a scathing email. Not that they cared, jobs for the boys as you say.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce