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Arena Magazine 2005 Issue 5 |
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Star Letter – What’s the union done for me? I’ll tell you!
From Paul Burke, (ex-GlaxoSmithKline K23).
You often hear people ask - what's the union ever done for me? This has a particular meaning for me after I was made redundant from the GlaxoSmithKline factory in Merseyside.
Although Usdaw, along with other unions, challenged the closure decision the company's plans to reorganise went ahead.
I have to say the area organiser at the time Mike Aylward did an excellent job. It was clear most people just wanted to know how much redundancy money they would get, which is fair enough. But Mike and the other officials provided much more for the workforce.
Apart from ensuring everyone received a fair deal, workshops were set up to help us write CVs. We had a job centre on-site where local firms were encouraged to recruit. Benefit advisors were called in and pensions experts were on hand to offer advice. On top of all this our redundancy package was very good. Everyone was as happy as they could be under these very difficult circumstances.
Without the skills and knowledge of our union officials and reps I'm sure we would not have had such a good settlement.
So the next time someone asks - What has the union done for me? - I can honestly say - a great deal. Many thanks to Mike Aylward and his team and many thanks to Usdaw.
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