Read any local or national newspaper running articles about jobs in the tourist/ hospitality sector and you normally see mention of increased tourism being good for jobs.
In a small seaside town like Swanage where the tourism industry just about dominates all the local economic activity there is plenty of this kind of talk around but there is an untold story. The story of the under paid and casually employed worker, and often rampant law breaking by employers in this industry.
The tourism industry in Swanage is mostly serviced by a local class of mercantile petit bourgeoisie that bang on endlessly about small businesses, government beaurocracy stifling economic activity, lazy workers and so much more.
I have had two of this type of job in the last 18 months and my experience makes for sobering reading. Shifts that clearly breach the working time regulations, always minimum wage, 0 hour contracts or no contract at all, workplace bullying by bosses/owners with threats of the sack for the least sign of resistance and, on at least one occasion when I dared to challenge one of these baby facists, of a bawling out of “it’s my business and I’ll do what I want with my staff” when I threatened to involve my union when a simple request for legal compliance to the working time regulations was met with a wall of silence.
This begs the question “Is there anything that workers in these industries can do to protect themselves”. The answer is an emphatic YES!
Typically these employers seem to trade on the ignorance of their workforce as to what rights a worker has. They employ mostly young people and/or migrant workers often unfamiliar with employment rights legislation.
My advice to any worker reading this is to join a union. I was staggered recently when talking to a young 16 year old student fellow worker when she said to me “I don’t know what a union is”. When I tried to explain to her that it was an organization of workers who get together to act in their own best interests I was met with “I don’t know anything about politics”, and a shrug of the shoulders that ended the conversation there and then.
Understand one thing: organizing and defending yourself as a worker has nothing whatsoever to do with politics. Unity is strength and where an isolated worker can easily be picked off many employers will think twice about victimising an entire workforce standing in solidarity with each other and presenting a united front.
What union to join then? Traditionally workers in the UK have organized themselves along ‘trade’ lines. Examples of this are USDAW ‘The Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers’. This is the union that most people that work in a shop would join if they decided union membership was for them. Another example is Unison. This union represents mostly workers in the public sector i.e. hospital cleaners, street cleaners, council admin staff etc. There are many others and they are nearly all affiliated to a national congress called the Trade Union Congress or TUC.
“Are unions free?” is a question I am sometime asked. No. A worker pays a monthly sub to their chosen union. This financing is vitally necessary for a union to be able to do its work whether it’s looking after the interests of a member, recruiting campaigns, attending conferences and all the other paraphernalia of a modern organization. Subs are generally paid by direct debit but if you happen to work for an ethical employer as I now do (happy days) that has no trouble with union membership you subs can be deducted from your wages before you receive them (much like Tax and National Insurance).
Purely on a personal level I would always say its’ better to be in a union than not in a union in your own best interests. I am what’s known as a dual carder. I belong to the Industrial Workers of the World or the IWW (more of them later) and USDAW because I work in a local supermarket.
The trade unions have undergone massive changes since the days of Margaret Thatcher’s attacks on them. Many will now offer things like credit cards with preferential rates, shopping discounts and cheap insurance for cars, home contents etc. Whether this is what the unions should be doing is a debatable subject.
Trade Unions don’t have the clout they once had thanks to Maggie and her tory entourage of the 1980’s but they are still able to provide effective representation for workers if they have to.
The Union I favour most is a small Union officially recognised since 2006 that I mentioned earlier.
The IWW does not have paid officials (at the moment) like the trade unions, is an industrial union rather than a trade union, has a commendable record in being driven from the grass roots of the membership and has a policy of supporting a worker the way the worker wants to be supported.
Unlike the trade unions the IWW has no political affiliations at all. It is purely there for the workers it represents and it’s subs are probably the lowest of all starting at £1 per month for certain categories of worker such as the unemployed. Subs vary depending on the income of the member.
The IWW is open to any worker in any industry and membership is available to anybody in or out of work providing they do not have the ability to hire and fire workers.
This contrasts with the more traditional unions who sometimes have members who are management too. A good example of this is Unison who represent local authority workers. A supervisor or manager may well be a member of Unison, likewise a normal worker. It doesn’t take a wild leap of the imagination to see there is a possible clash of interest here. How can aUnionrepresent both sides at the same time?
There are two trained IWW reps in east and south Dorset currently who can assist with problems at work. They will always endeavour to make sure the assistance they provide is in line with the workers wishes and although they may offer advice based on training and experience they will never override a workers decision. Their services are available free to any member of the IWW in good standing (subs paid up to date) and who has been a member for 3 months or more.
There is much more information online. Please do some research and familiarise yourself with the unions if you are interested. I have provided 3 links to get you started.
- Is the TUC website
- USDAW website
- IWW website. (see below)
So then comrades I do hope this article has been helpful. Please think carefully about your working life and how best to look after yourself and your colleagues.
In Solidarity
Graham Horne IWW (Rep) and USDAW.
Swanage.
