I would like to join UNIA as an associate but something bothers me. i read some articles which say that they are super rich, have plenty of cash and plenty of buildings in switzerland. basically they are rich capitalists. the problem is that i don't think they share part of their wealth as real socialists or communists should do ( i am a left-wing voter and worker with left values), but they keep it all.
they keep their money and assets like the rich entrepeneurs do. I also heard stories that they kick you out if you don't pay your monthly fee, which even increased in these years (so they like the capital like capitalists?).
they want to increase salaries, but maybe because they would get even more money because the monthly fee is based on a % of my salary.
by Confident_Good_1413
16 comments
I give you an upvote and a comment so i can see where this discussion goes. Just wait a bit pls, I am going for a bucket of extra spicy popcorn now!
They say they use the money for future “combats”. Unions have createt some good things, like GAV or so. For construction workers and blue collar jobs, it might still be necessary to have them, for white collar jobs, the model is probably outdated. There are also smaller unions, so if you are not obliged to join unia as in some jobs, maybe those smaller ones would be more suitable? Thanks to unia, construction workers have retirement at 60, and not 65.
Just remember who owns blick and 20min. Is UNIA perfect? probably not. Are blick and 20min propaganda papers for billionaires? Mostly yes.
I was a member of Unia for a long time and left last year.
The reasons for this were the membership fees, which in my opinion were excessive, and the fact that you hardly brought about any noticeable positive changes in the 10 years I was a member.
In hindsight, I think it would have made more sense for me to join a professional association.
I was a member for years. But eventually i decided to cancel my membership due to high membership fees.
I still think UNIA and other unions are important for workers rights. I still support them politically by electing / voting forunia member whenever they are on a SP list
They don’t kick you out for unpaid dues, they go to debt collection.
That being said, there’s no problem in a union owning cash and assets in principle, and it’s far from the only union to do so. Owning their offices etc. makes them more resilient and less dependent on the whims of rich owners. Cash is important to support workers if their wages are being withheld etc. UNIA currently lacks the fighting spirit to make good use of this though.
I don’t know where you got the idea that a Union should share their wealth with their members, but UNIA doesn’t claim they do. The job of a Union (“Gewerkschaft”) is to support the workforce in the workers/labor struggle, fighting for more rights (political level) or fighting for/with workers to get their rights (in the court of law and the companies). It’s not a system to distribute wealth, and they would never dare to claim they were communist (not in Switzerland of all places).
UNIA is the largest trade union in Switzerland, if you’re in the right field of work, you can benefit from the membership, but don’t pick a Union based on the goodies. You pick by the type of workers they represent (best, most often), and then by size.
A friend of mine was a member of UNIA and they paid all the lawyer costs over a 8 year battle with one of the mentioned media outlets for salary dumping, unlawful contracts, and so on and won. They easily spent several 10 thousands on her and didnt blink an eye
They are mafia
Took me one year with legal insurance to cancel a membership I never recall signing up for
And thousands jn fees which I will owe them which I’m paying in a monthly instalment plan
Don’t forget that unions are representing workers in collective negotiations, which, in most sectors, is the main regulation preventing companies for treating their workers even worse than they do. They are also an efficient support in case of problem with the employer, whether individually or collectively.
Another thing: you may consider that unions are useless for you but I can guarantee you that bosses won’t renounce their own organisations, which have a lot of power…
I‘m a member as well and I am involved in various left wing communities (two parties, two unions, attending frequent events and contact with other party, union and club members). So I got a range of different and often contradicting opinions from others.
Some people, especially further to the left and with anarchist or communist convictions, criticise the same things as you do. That the UNIA is hoarding wealth, is a landlord and that they don‘t sufficiently help you out in exchange for what you give them.
My current opinion is that the UNIA needs those assets to finance their members’ unemployment benefits and the strike funds (though they should use them more often and abandon the 0social peace“ in my opinion). They often can‘t reach the workers that need them the most, like in retail or cleaning, while metalworking, construction and healthcare are fairly well covered by them and have better conditions and a will to fight, in part thanks to UNIA agitation and means. But this is not a fault of the union, there are just some people who cannot be covered because employer or state interference is just so great. At my trade school a professional association is given access to our apprentices, while the UNIA is excluded, probably due to their political associations – even though the UNIA is the second largest General Labour Contract partner in our industry!
York need to ask yourself, what is the purpose of the UNIA capital? Unions gain their power from the threat of a strike and work stoppage but people that are striking still need income and support. This capital allows them to support striking workers.
A strike can only work if the owners are aware that the employees can keep the strike going so long that it will threaten his profits or business model.
This requires quite a bit of organization and infrastructure and thus people. These people need to be payed appropriatly and that may increase the monthly cost of the organization. But since the membership fee is based on your own salary I think the current system is pretty fair.
Lastly you feel like they ought to be more leftist or you accuse them of being caitalists. I personnally dont think that unions are inherently left-wing, its about ensuring rights and fairness at the workplace and all everybody deserves this. Ultimatly their investments and capital accumulation benefits its members, not some shareholders.
I guess one of the issues is that they handle unemployment money.
They’re supposed to defend workers’ rights, but they are also supposed to provide when they are out of work, meaning they have to maintain sufficient money, and avoid spending it too much (i.e. actually apply strict unemployment rules against workers).
> they keep their money and assets like the rich entrepeneurs do.
Just to point this out, at least in principle unions need assets so that in the case of a strike, they can pay the strikers money. A poor union has a problem.
UNIA is a scam. Nothing but a shake-down.
Unia has great and awful aspects. I work with them as part of my job in the private sector. In general, I can recommend it. If not with unia, make sure you have legal protection elsewhere 🙂 it’s very useful
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