Unite: no to zero hours contracts, err except when they are used for our benefit
Compare and contrast what the trade union Unite says about zero hour contracts and what the self same trade union actually does itself:
What Unite says
Bad for Britain, bad for workers, bad for you
The rise of zero hours contracts in the workplace is the latest attack on workers’ rights and dignity.
What Unite does
Leaked documents showed it saved money on its £2.3m-a-year training programme by using tutors on zero-hour contracts.
All rather reminiscent of the Labour Party hypocrisy over zero hour contracts…
I’m not remotely surprised.
Many years ago, I worked for a small company whose boss was mates with the leadership of the TGWU (now Unite)… We were all encouraged to be TGWU members, which meant rather less that our rights were championed than that they were happy to employ this particular company to do jobs for them and report how good a company it was because it was so unionised.
We did computer installation and training for their London HQ at considerably longer hours and lower wages than TGWU staff, and I can still remember the people I was training all going home at 4.30 (the union looking after its own on our subs) while those of us union members indirectly employed by the union stayed until after 7 with no overtime setting up their new machines.