I covered this subject back in November http://lawatwork.blogspot.com/2010/11/standards-of-service.html as I was prompted to do so by a friend who is a member of different union in Harrigey. I ended up having to represent this family friend and whilst I will not go into the detail of the specific case I was appalled by the lack of support this poor member had received. He was facing disciplinary charges and was trying desperately to get help from his union but could not get anyone to sit down with him so I was drafted in. I won't go on about this in depth as I do not wish to expose (not at this stage) my mate.
But it is true that the majority of those in membership join up because they know they may need help and support at some stage during their employment, so it is bad that we, as union reps, do some times fail in our duty and more should be done to support those who take up the role of representing to enable them to do their duty correctly. It is also not true that the majority of members join because they wish to bring about change so unions should be more realistic and become more responsive to the needs of their members.
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