NationStates Jolt Archive

*assumes a poll is forthcoming*
*waits*
*steals thread in the meantime*

Simple question.

Individual contract based on trade-union agreements.

Individual contract based on trade-union agreements.
Wonders what you mean?
Sorry if the poll was a little rigid, my basic question is: Do you support an agreement which the whole workforce is party too, and which the conditions, wages etc are decided via collective bargaining by a trade union intermediary and the employer. Or instead do you support a system of direct contracts between each employee individually and the employer, and conditions etc are decided in that way.

Wonders what you mean?
Sorry if the poll was a little rigid, my basic question is: Do you support an agreement which the whole workforce is party too, and which the conditions, wages etc are decided via collective bargaining by a trade union intermediary and the employer. Or instead do you support a system of direct contracts between each employee individually and the employer, and conditions etc are decided in that way.

I support a system in which the trade unions provide salary ranges and has a say in the working conditions, mostly regarding safety regulations and such.
I don't support a system by which the union gets to regulate every minute detail in an individual's contract, such as how much vacation has to be given, and if the vacation has to be taken or can be converted in additional payments.

It depends upon the situation we're talking about. Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

I mean, for an autoworker who's making a career out of what he's doing, collective bargaining makes sense.

For a high school student working part time at the local grocery store earning minimum wage, it makes no sense, as the union just exists to lift ten bucks out of your meager paychecks a month.

It depends upon the situation we're talking about. Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

I mean, for an autoworker who's making a career out of what he's doing, collective bargaining makes sense.

For a high school student working part time at the local grocery store earning minimum wage, it makes no sense, as the union just exists to lift ten bucks out of your meager paychecks a month.
Seriously? For me it's like 3.

I appreciate I might be a little unusual but I'm going on strike soon to try and get a better collective bargaining agreement. But said agreement doesn't decide my wage or my hours or even whether I have a job.

Collective trade union agreements that set the floor for what an employee gets.

It depends upon the situation we're talking about. Sometimes one, sometimes the other.

I mean, for an autoworker who's making a career out of what he's doing, collective bargaining makes sense.

For a high school student working part time at the local grocery store earning minimum wage, it makes no sense, as the union just exists to lift ten bucks out of your meager paychecks a month.Really, our union won us paid breaks for shifts less than 8 hours, and an employee discount. *continues bragging*

Well I don't know about people here but when I joined my collective retail agreement I now work part-time on, I gained access to all the wage raises, conditions and entitlements won by that workplaces decades before I was employed by it. To me it just makes sense that the whole workforce can negotiate with the employer more effectively, if the employer can take every employee individually into a room alone they are removed from any real bargaining power.

i put other, because it really depends entirely on the nature of the job. for anything where a large labour force is envolved, or for jobs not traditionally held in high esteem, some means of collective barganing is essential.

that is to say, where you have a cash based economy and relatively fixed kinds of employment. other viable, humaine, creative and gratifying possiblities, do exist, and many more could, were there less prejudice against the IDEA of the possibility of there even being such alternatives.

=^^=
.../\...

Should be up to the individual. They can negotiate an individual agreement if they prefer but collective bargaining agreements must be just as easily available for those who want it.

It depends.

My ideal method of employment is freelancing. In other words, not being employed at all, really.

I'm in favour of a $1 basic wage, and the rest in cash under the table so the tax man doesn't get anything.

Seriously though, I'm confident enough in my abilities and my usefulness to work out an individual contract. Unfortunately I'm a casual employee at the moment, and don't get such a contract but have to take what they're offering instead (the pay is okay, but I get no breaks, holidays, sickpay or anything of the sort).

Seriously though, I'm confident enough in my abilities and my usefulness to work out an individual contract. Unfortunately I'm a casual employee at the moment, and don't get such a contract but have to take what they're offering instead (the pay is okay, but I get no breaks, holidays, sickpay or anything of the sort).Mightn't you get those things if your industry or at least your workplace was unionized?

Mightn't you get those things if your industry or at least your workplace was unionized?
Not as a casual employee. It's a special categorisation.

I had the option of joining a union, but chose not to (because they wanted to charge me my money). One of my mates did, and he never got anything from them. So I'm quite happy I didn't make that particular investment.

IUOE local 39 INNA HOUSE!!!

Seriously, I love my union. Besides our collective bargaining getting us the benchmark wage for our industry in the area, I have a quite respectable pension to look forward too.

My 'employees' are all hypnotically controlled slaves to my will.

Or they will be once I learn hypnosis. :p

Not as a casual employee. It's a special categorisation.

I had the option of joining a union, but chose not to (because they wanted to charge me my money). One of my mates did, and he never got anything from them. So I'm quite happy I didn't make that particular investment.I do recall that Australia's laws about unions are rather odd. This doesn't mean that a union couldn't do something for you, though.

Depends on the size of the employer. For small businesses then individual contracts are best. And for huge multinational corporations then collective bargaining has a great many benefits.

The more the capital is pooled together the more the workers should pool together. Balance of power type thing.

I do recall that Australia's laws about unions are rather odd. This doesn't mean that a union couldn't do something for you, though.
Maybe they could and just don't want to. Either way, they aren't, and I'm comfortable with that.