Staff Pay Negotiations

[paddyk]

At our company the shop floor employees are represented by a union for their annual pay negotiations which always results in them getting a higher pay rise than the monthly paid staff - in fact some years the staff don't get one at all. We feel that all employees should be treated the same, for instance if there is an annual award the same % rise should apply to everyone.
The majority of the staff won't join the union for a variety of reasons which are too complex to go in a short post - so unfortunately getting them unionised is a non-starter (I have tried this without any success).
I believe that we should have a staff representative body to put our viewpoint to senior management and people would support that -but am unsure exactly how to set about this and how to organise it? We would appreciate any suggestions on how it could be done.

[Buenchico]

This won't answer all of your questions but, after reading it yourself, you might find that providing your employer with a copy could be beneficial:
http://www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/r/p/Acas_guide_Non-Union_Representation-accessible-version-July-2011.pdf

[soapnumpty]

I don't understand why some people aren't prepared to pay the £10 or so a month to join the union but still expect to benefit from all their hard work and negotiations. I have worked with people like that. If you have already tried without success to get them to join then I wouldn't go out of my way to help them further if I was you!

[buildersmate]

Perhaps because they resent the six-figure salaries that all major union leaders earn. Bob Crow, for example, of RMT earns over £120k pa and he's by no means the highest. Just a mite hypocricritical that, and a world away from the origins of trade unionism.

[EDDIE51]

As far as I know a union will negotiate pay even if only a % of the workforce belong. So as long as some monthly paid staff join then the union wil probably include them in the negociations.
If the staff will not join a union what evidence do you have that they would join a staff association ?

[paddyk]

Eddie. We need over 50% of staff in the union for Unite to negotiate on their behalf.In the past it was frowned on for staff to be in the union and many still feel (with some justification I might add) it would affect their career prospects. Others are highly doubtful that being in the union would actually get them an equal pay award so it woukld be a waste of £12 a month. The union won't negotiate for the few staff who are in it because of this over 50 % rule although I'm not sure if that isn't an excuse.

[paddyk]

In reply to Soapy I might add that only about 65% of the workforce are in the union but they all still get the payrise negotiated by Unite regardless of whether they are are a union member or not. I fail to see the distinction between hourly-paid non-union employees who get the pay rise and the monthly paid staff who don't. I might add that at every other company I have worked - everyone got the same % annual pay award

[EDDIE51]

Unite do not distinguish between weekly and monthly paid staff. If they are negociating for the weekly paid staff that should apply to monthly paid as well as long as at least a few monthly paid staff are members.
If the situation you describe continues , the point will soon come where the shop floor are paid more per hour than the monthly paid staff, how will they take to that ?