Union Funding.

[popgoestheweasal.]

My sister works in the civic and she was saying last night that her e - mails are all about union messages and she gets letters from the union franked by the council.
surely the tax payer does not funded the union based at the civic.

[The Great Dictator]

It does.

[testing times]

It supplies an office, computer equipment, clerical  facilities, stationary....and it pays their full-time salaries too.....oh and did I mention that the Chief Shop Steward is also President of the local Constituency labour Party who, among other things, gets a big say on who gets to be selected as local candidates (and de-selected)?

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

Is nothing done at HBC with impartiality !

Union members pay subs to fund Union activities in all the private companies I have worked at.
Employers allow time for the odd meeting and nothing more.

It is time the council worked this way too.

[popgoestheweasal.]

That is astounding wonder how much per year that costs the tax payer.

[Lucy Lass-Tick]

That is astounding wonder how much per year that costs the tax payer.

OK, this is for north of the border, but it does offer a snapshot.

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/4478691/Councils-union-bill-hits-14m.html

[Turns Out Toxic]

Does Hartlepool get a breakdown of expenditure?

[popgoestheweasal.]

This must stem from labour being in control in the past.
Surely this should be highlighted to the tax payer and some thing done to stop it.

[testing times]

by whom.....your local labour councillor? 

[not4me]

yea like that's going to happen....

[popgoestheweasal.]

yea like that's going to happen....

Yes fair point.

[monkeyhanger]

It supplies an office, computer equipment, clerical  facilities, stationary....and it pays their full-time salaries too.....oh and did I mention that the Chief Shop Steward is also President of the local Constituency labour Party who, among other things, gets a big say on who gets to be selected as local candidates (and de-selected)?

Why,if they can buy a lavish office down in the smoke they can invest in their own office here and afford to fund those elected.

[not4me]

Isn't there a variation on this?
Iain Wright claims the rent for running his local constutency office from his MP's expenses which he then pays to the Labour Party because that's who he rents the office off - the local Labour Party Office. I don't know how the maths works out but there's every chance it's enough to be funding any outstanding mortgage on the property if there is one.
I'm sure the same is true of Tory and Lib-Dem MPs too but then if your party doesn't happen to have the local MP then I guess you're a bit stuffed. 

[monkeyhanger]

The FREE office down in the council depot,recently refurbished freshly for them to move into. Time and labour and materials paid for by council.

[Julie noted]

Free office? Newly refurbished? It's worse than that.
I've just been told that Ann Sharp, Unison secretary convicted of stealing £40k+ from the union, was a full time employee of the union, on full pay from the council.
Are we living in La La land, or what?