Dyspraxia in Work. How much can my Union Help me?

[EnglaC1]

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[Strawberryocean]

They provide advice and support. If you should feel you've been treated unfairly, they can act on your behalf to help resolve any issues.

[Tom fod]

Not sure why original question was deleted as in my view it was both valid, interesting.and worthy of debate.

In principle staff Unions can assist by representing members who are in a duspute with an employer.

Dyspraxia was covered by the Disability Discrinination Act later 'rolled into' the Equality Act which requires that employers make reasonable adjustments to assist emloyees who have a disability. Unfortunately 'reasonable' is subjective so realistically you need to be able to at least meet your employer half way.

I feel from a low self esteem point of view many people would back down and the employer would win (or would they?)

Jim? Ram? Anyone?

[Ram]

Tom fod said:

I feel from a low self esteem point of view many people would back down and the employer would win (or would they?)

There is definitely a real danger of that. But I think a lot depends on how prepared the dyspraxic person is. Also, in my limited experience, union members are often quite 'streetwise' at seeing through employer's attempts to dodge the issue.

Please take anything I say with a pinch of salt since I've had the good fortune to never have an issue with an employer since being diagnosed.

[Tom fod]

There is definitely a real danger of that. But I think a lot depends on how prepared the dyspraxic person is. Also, in my limited experience, union members are often quite 'streetwise' at seeing through employer's attempts to dodge the issue.

Please take anything I say with a pinch of salt since I've had the good fortune to never have an issue with an employer since being diagnosed.

I too have fortunately never had to call on the support of a union but I think they have a role to try to work constructively with management to ensure that workers rights are protected. I do feel the media has been manipulated to propagate a distorted view of what the unions stand for with the result that public opinion has been turned against them 'as a bunch of rabble rousers" and I appreciate that in some cases this view could be deemed to be not unreasonable. My view is influenced by how I was brought up and my own personal perception. I appreciate it might be contentious to some.

[Ram]

Tom fod wrote:
I too have fortunately never had to call on the support of a union but I think they have a role to try to work constructively with management to ensure that workers rights are protected. I do feel the media has been manipulated to propagate a distorted view of what the unions stand for with the result that public opinion has been turned against them 'as a bunch of rabble rousers" and I appreciate that in some cases this view could be deemed to be not unreasonable. My view is influenced by how I was brought up and my own personal perception. I appreciate it might be contentious to some.

That is an interesting point. As a kid growing up in Thatcher's Britain in the 1980s, I thought that unions were worse than Satan himself.

Once I started work, however, I realized they had an important part to play in keeping things reasonable in the work place.

Ineterestingly enough, for the past five decades or so, in Germany a union representative is always present at key board meetings. That means problems that the workforce may have with a new idea are ironed out before this idea is executed. Consequently, Germany (while not being 100% strike free) managed to avoid the crippling strikes that plagued Britain during the 1970s.