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Unions - A brief guide for members
The main benefits of union membership are in four key areas :-
Additional services and discounts help offset the costs of membership and help members get a good deal outside of the workplace, as well as inside it.
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Amicus's union reps, provide the best service :-
- with your best interests at heart
- helping you with your workplace problems
- guiding you through every step
- providing you with best advice at all stages
Amicus reps in AXA are backed up by :-
- training at local colleges and Amicus's own training facilities
- Seconded Representatives located on-site
- Amicus's Full-Time Officers
- a National team which covers the Insurance and Banking Industries
- a first-class Legal team
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Representation at Work
What would happen if you had to go through a disciplinary or capability procedure, or you wanted to bring a grievance against the company, colleague or supervisor ?
What would you do if your case reached a tribunal ? Could you be sure that a private solicitor was acting in your best interests ? Could you be sure that a compensation award wouldn't be eroded by charges and costs required by a solicitor ?
Would you want an Amicus Full-Time Officer to represent you at an Employment Tribunal who would take nothing from any compensation award you receive ?
Would you want to represent yourself in a meeting at work or in an employment tribunal ?
Would you want to be represented by your friend or a colleague ? Are they trained in employment law ? Are they familiar with laws related to discrimination - disability, gender, race, religious belief, sexual orientation ? Are they aware of imminent/forthcoming legislation and the impact of these on the workplace ?
Do you think the training provided by an outside body would be more or less objective than training provided by the company ?
If you had a problem at work, would you want someone to help you resolve it before it reached a formal procedure ?
If you were being bullied or harassed, would you want to be able to speak to someone in confidence about it, who could help you stop it ? Would it be important that they knew what your legal rights were ?
Would it be important to have someone advising you and sitting next to you who is trained in employment law and representation skills ?
Would you feel reassured if you were being advised by a professional body, external to the company ?
Would you find it reassuring for someone to speak on your behalf at times of stress and/or distress ?
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Wages, Terms and Conditions
How important is pay to you ?
Why do you come to work every day ? If you won the lotto at the weekend, would you carry on working ?
Who deals with your pay, and your terms and conditions ? How important is it that they are well trained ? Who trains them to negotiate your wages, and your terms and conditions ?
If they need support, advice or information to help them negotiate, who provides this for them ?
How do you have a say in your pay and how it is determined ?
Is it important for you to have a say ?
Would you prefer to have your employer decide your pay or to negotiate with an untrained or even unelected works committee ?
Amicus is committed to ensure that our negotiators are well-trained and keep the members' interests to the fore. Amicus reps in AXA are committed to ensure that members are a part of the pay negotiations and will continue ensure that members' opinions are sought, collated and provided to management in confidence. We aim to provide an opinion/assessment on any offer management ask us to put to the members and to abide by the decision the members reach via the resulting ballot.
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Legal Protection
What happens if you have an accident at work ? Who would you turn to for help ? Will your line manager be most likely to represent your best interests or the company's ? Can you be sure that your line manager will give you 100% support ?
Does your colleague know about health and safety legislation ? Is your colleague trained to argue your case in a formal workplace meeting, or in court ?
If you went to a solicitor and won are you sure you'd keep 100% of any award ? Are you sure that 'no win, no fee' means what you think it means ? How much of your award will disappear if you used your own solicitor ?
Would you want to be advised and legally represented by someone who knew all about health and safety legislation and who was trained to argue your case ?
Would you want to be advised and legally represented by someone who knew all about employment legislation and who was trained to argue your case ?
Would you want the union's solicitors to represent you for free if you had an accident at work ? If you win, would you want to keep 100% of your claim ?
Did you know that Amicus wins £45million each year on behalf of its members who have accidents at work ?
Amicus provides free services to members throughout the Legal process - from initial representation in the workplace, all the way through to employment tribunals and the courts.
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Health and Safety
How important is it for your workplace to be safe and healthy ?
Who currently monitors and deals with health and safety in your workplace ?
Is it important to you that someone trained in health and safety is monitoring it on your behalf on a day to day basis ?
Should that person have the best interest of employees at heart, rather than have one eye on the company's budget ?
Health and Safety Reps in AXA conduct workplace inspections alongside AXA staff/managers responsible for workplace safety. Amicus is committed to ensure that the working environment is safe, whether in 'traditionally' dangerous areas where machinery is located or in 'traditionally' safe areas such as office area.
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